ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, on Friday said his country stands by the Kashmiri people in their struggle for the right to self-determination as Kashmiris across the world observed 76th anniversary of India’s takeover of part of the Himalayan territory.
Kashmiris across the world have been observing a ‘Black Day’ today, on October 27, in remembrance of India’s takeover of the part of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947, months after the division of the Indian Sub-continent in 1947.
In Pakistan, multiple rallies were held on Friday at which participants expressed their solidarity with Kashmiris in their struggle against the takeover.
In his message, the Pakistan prime minister assured the people of India-administered Kashmir that Islamabad would continue to support them.
“As we mark today the 76th anniversary of India’s occupation of Kashmir, my thoughts are with the resilient and brave Kashmiri people who continue to yearn for their due rights,” Kakar said on X.
“Let us remember their unwavering spirit and, rest assured, Pakistan stands firmly by their side.”
Divided between India and Pakistan since 1947, the Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir has been a bone of contention between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Both claim the territory in full and have fought two of their four wars over the disputed region.
Ties between India and Pakistan hit a new low and stand frozen since August 5, 2019, when New Delhi revoked semi-autonomous status of the part of Kashmir it controls, dividing it into two federally administered territories.