Pakistanis hold anti-India rallies to mark 6th anniversary of revocation of Kashmir’s special status
Pakistanis hold anti-India rallies to mark 6th anniversary of revocation of Kashmir’s special status/node/2610740/pakistan
Pakistanis hold anti-India rallies to mark 6th anniversary of revocation of Kashmir’s special status
Members of a civil society ‘Muhajjireen Jammu and Kashmir’ burn a portrait of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and representation of an Indian flag in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, August 5, 2025, during a rally to mark the sixth anniversary of India’s revocation of the disputed region’s semi-autonomous status. (AP)
Pakistanis hold anti-India rallies to mark 6th anniversary of revocation of Kashmir’s special status
Protesters denounce 2019 revocation of Kashmir’s special status, demand restoration of statehood for Himalayan region
In Srinagar, supporters of India’s opposition Congress party also rallied to demand restoring statehood of the disputed region
Updated 05 August 2025
AP
MUZAFFARABAD: Chanting anti-India slogans, hundreds of people rallied on Tuesday in Azad Kashmir to mark the sixth anniversary of India’s revocation of the disputed region’s semi-autonomous status.
The rallies in the part of the disputed Kashmir region governed by Pakistan came nearly three months after Pakistan and India exchanged military strikes over a mass shooting in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Islamabad, a charge Pakistan denied. The confrontation raised fears of a potential nuclear conflict before global powers defused the crisis.
The protesters denounced the August 5, 2019, revocation of Kashmir’s special status by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded the restoration of statehood for the Himalayan region, which has been split between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety.
The region has sparked two wars between the nuclear-armed neighbors since 1947, when the nations gained independence from Britain.
The main protest Tuesday in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which is called Azad Kashmir, drew hundreds of members of civil society and political parties.
Mazhar Saeed Shah, a leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference — an alliance of pro-freedom Kashmiri political and religious groups — at the rally urged the international community to help ensure Kashmiris are granted the right to self-determination, as called for in UN resolutions decades ago.
Similar anti-India demonstrations were held in Islamabad, where Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s moral and diplomatic support for Kashmiris seeking what he called “freedom from India’s illegal occupation.”
Meanwhile in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir, supporters of India’s opposition Congress party rallied to demand that the government restore the statehood of the disputed region.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Qatar on Tuesday agreed to deepen their strategic and economic cooperation during high-level talks between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Sharif’s office said.
Sharif visited Qatar along with a high-level delegation on the invitation of Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The Pakistani premier also held meetings with Qatar’s trade and defense ministers to discuss cooperation in various domains.
The visit came at a time when Pakistan is seeking closer economic engagement with Gulf partners amid its broader push to stabilize the economy and attract investment, while maintaining security and defense cooperation with key regional states.
During their meeting in Doha, PM Sharif and Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed discussed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and international developments, according to the Pakistan prime minister’s office.
“They reaffirmed the strong brotherly relations between Pakistan and Qatar and expressed satisfaction at the growing momentum in political, economic and institutional ties,” Sharif’s office said.
“Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, energy, defense, manpower and labor and culture, with both sides stressing the importance of their task force to accelerate cooperation in all these areas.”
Pakistan and Qatar maintain strong trade and investment ties. In 2022, the office of Qatar’s emir said the Qatar Investment Authority planned to invest $3 billion in Pakistan, targeting sectors including transport, aviation, education, health, media, technology and labor.
Nearly 300,000 Pakistanis live and work in Qatar, according to Pakistan’s foreign office, with many employed in health, education, engineering and public services, as well as construction and transport. The two countries engage through forums such as the Bilateral Political Consultations and the Joint Ministerial Commission.
Sharif said he had productive discussions with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on how the two sides could transform their brotherly ties into mutually beneficial economic relationships.
“We also took stock of the regional situation,” he said on X. “Pakistan and Qatar will continue to work together for peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (second right) meets the Qatari Emir Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (left) in Doha, Qatar, on February 24, 2026. (PID)
DIALOGUE WITH AFGHANISTAN
Earlier, Sharif and Qatar’s Deputy PM Sheikh Saoud Al-Thani discussed the situation in Afghanistan and called for dialogue to support regional stability.
The meeting took place amid renewed tensions after Islamabad carried out airstrikes last week on what it described as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) targets inside Afghanistan. Kabul said the strikes killed civilians and vowed to respond to what it called a violation of its sovereignty.
“Regional developments were also discussed, in particular the situation in Iran and Afghanistan,” Sharif’s office said in a statement. “Both sides emphasized the importance of dialogue, de-escalation and collective efforts to promote peace and stability in the region.”
This was the second time in less than six months that Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan. The last strikes triggered heavy, weeklong clashes between the neighbors along their border before Qatar and Turkiye mediated a ceasefire between them in Oct. last year.
Separately, Sharif held meetings with Qatar’s State Minister for Trade Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed and a delegation of the Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA), highlighting Pakistan’s investment-friendly reforms.
He invited QBA members to explore opportunities in infrastructure, logistics, energy, agriculture, technology and export-oriented manufacturing, his office said.
