Islamabad, 05 August 2023 (APP)

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday reiterated that Pakistan rejected all the unilateral and illegal actions taken by India in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) and vowed to continue extending its unwavering diplomatic, moral and political support to Kashmiris in their just struggle.

Marking 4th anniversary of India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019, in violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir and of international law, India tried to obliterate the distinct identity of the Kashmiri people. India hoped that by attempting to alter demographic structure of Indian Illegally occupied Jammu   & Kashmir (IIOJK), it could dampen the spirit of the Kashmiri people or at the very least, make them compromise on their legitimate right to self-determination. On both counts, India has abjectly failed. These steps were forcefully rejected by Pakistan, the Kashmiris, and the international community.

On his Twitter handle, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that they called upon India to reverse its post-August 5 actions.

Today marked the completion of four years since India deprived Kashmiris of their statehood by unilaterally annexing Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK), he added.

“The last four years have represented the culmination of the worst human rights abuses including but not limited to the demographic changes, issuance of fake domiciles, internet shutdown, complete information blackout and imprisonment of Kashmiri leadership of all hues and colours,” the prime minister posted in a tweet.

At the heart of these illegal and immoral measures had been the nefarious attempt by India to alter the internationally recognized status of IIOJK and undermine the Kashmiris’ fundamental right to self-determination, he added.

The prime minister further said that history bore witness to the fact that brute force had never succeeded in extinguishing the fire of freedom and rights.