ISLAMABAD: Lasting peace and stability in South Asia will remain elusive until the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is resolved, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday as Pakistan marks “Black Day” to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir. 

Pakistanis and Kashmiris across the world observe ‘Black Day’ on Oct. 27 every year to mark India’s takeover of the part of Jammu and Kashmir it administers in 1947, months after the division of the Indian sub-continent in 1947. In Pakistan, multiple rallies are held to mark the event, during which participants express their solidarity with Kashmiris in their struggle against the takeover. 

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have fought two out of three wars over the disputed Himalayan territory, which they both claim in full but administer only in parts. In May, the two countries engaged in a brief military confrontation after India blamed Pakistan for being involved in an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that caused the killings of 22 tourists. 

Islamabad accuses India of denying Kashmiris the right to self-determination and consistently urges the international community to force India to hold a plebiscite as per the United Nations Security Council Resolutions. India denies Pakistan’s allegations and accuses Islamabad of fomenting militancy in the disputed area. 

“Lasting peace and stability in South Asia will remain elusive without the just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people,” Sharif said as per a statement issued by his office. 

Ties between India and Pakistan hit a new low since Aug. 5, 2019, when New Delhi revoked semi-autonomous status of the part of Kashmir it controls, dividing it into two federally administered territories.

The Pakistani prime minister accused India of imposing “draconian laws” in the disputed territory, alleging that New Delhi had “unleashed a systematic campaign of violence and brutality” to silence legitimate political voices of the Kashmiris.

“The unlawful and unjustified incarceration of several prominent Kashmiri leaders and activists, as well as media personalities, is an ugly manifestation of this Indian extremist agenda,” he said. 

Sharif assured the people of Kashmir that Pakistan stands “resolutely” beside them.
 
“We reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and will never relent in our commitment to the Kashmir cause, until justice is done and the promise of self-determination, pledged by the international community, is finally fulfilled,” he said.