Pakistan all set for Kashmir Solidarity Day on 5 February: Is Indian Government concerned for Kashmir and its Kashmiri citizen?

Source: News Bharati

Islamabad, February 02: Pakistan is all set to observe the Kashmir Solidarity Day on 5 February to renew its ‘pledge to provide full moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people’.

Kashmir Solidarity Day has been observed on 5 February each year as a National holiday in Pakistan as a part of protest against ‘Indian control’ of part of Kashmir. Kashmir Day was first appealed by Qazi Hussain Ahmed of the Ameer-e-Jammat-e-Islami party in Pakistan in 1990. Since then on it is a national holiday in Pakistan.

This year, Pakistan Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Wednesday urged media to highlight the Kashmir issue and sacrifices of Kashmiris internationally. She said this during the meeting of National Assembly’s Special Committee on Kashmir. Firdous appreciated Kashmir Committee Chairman Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s role for highlighting the Kashmir issue at all international forums. She said that the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir was representing the sentiments of the whole nation. On Kashmir Solidarity Day, she said the Pakistani nation would pay great tribute to the ‘sacrifices of Kashmiris’ given for the right to self-determination.

Pak Minister further appealed that it is a day to convey message to our (Pakistan) Kashmiri brothers that Pakistanis sitting in different corners of the world have attachment with the Kashmir cause.

The Minister said the Pakistan Television was promoting the Kashmiris cause and highlighted the atrocities committed against them. The Minister informed the committee that private TV channels would be asked to highlight the sacrifices of Kashmiris. The Pakistan Broadcasting Association and all electronic media owners have expressed willingness to play role for projecting the Kashmir cause, she said. 

The Minister said, “Let’s send a unanimous message to all across the world that we are all united on the Kashmir issue”.

Meanwhile Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman on Monday said that on the basis of faith (Islam)  Kashmiris are tied with Pakistan and Pakistan would continue to extend its moral, political and diplomatic support to people of Kashmir.

Pakistan has continuously beating its drums on international platform against India since its inception. Kashmir is the core issue that Pakistan has been successful in propaganda against India.

It is Pakistan's view that the international community in general, and governing world bodies in particular, should intervene and force India to ‘stop shedding innocent Kashmiri blood’.

However, most of the international community except China refuses to interfere in the Conflict maintaining that it is matter between India and Pakistan best resolved bilaterally. India claims to maintain like Pakistan, that the people of Kashmir should have the right to decide their fate.

Though it may be no particular significance for Jammu and Kashmir but Pakistan observes February 5, as Kashmir Solidarity Day, as it has been doing since 1990, shortly after the armed uprising in the State began.

Last year several banned militant groups met in Muzaffarabad, capital of the Pakistan occupied Kashmir and and pledged to continue the jihad to ‘liberate’ Kashmir from India. The meeting was organised by a previously unknown group, Tehreek-e-Azadi Jammu and Kashmir, on the eve of ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’.

Groups affiliated to the United Jihad Council (UJC), the umbrella organisation of more than a dozen militant outfits, were in attendance including the HM, the JeM and the HuM. The meeting took place at Chattar, a neighborhood that reportedly houses Government offices, top Government functionaries and political VIPs. The local administration did not prevent the event, held under a tent on a main road. However, there was no comment from the Pakistan Government on the meeting.

Interestingly, Syed Salahuddin, leader of the HM and the UJChad accused Indian intelligence agencies of staging the Mumbai attacks to “divert international attention” from the Kashmir issue.

It is interesting to see and hear what kind of show will be presented by Pakistan and saparatists in Kashmir this year. More interesting is the India’s Sonia Led UPA Government’s response to Pakistan’s Official ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ which will be observed on 5 February.

Pakistan is all set to make a hype of Kashmir issue worldwide, what is India’s stand is the real question!