ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday that durable peace in South Asia will be impossible to achieve unless the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan is resolved, urging the international community to stop India from its alleged human rights violations in the territory.
Pakistan marks Feb. 5 every year as Kashmir Solidarity Day to support the right of self-determination for the people of Kashmir. The Himalayan territory has remained contested between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan, with both claiming it in full but administering only parts of it. Various groups across Pakistan mark the day with rallies and hold seminars on Feb. 5, which is a public holiday, to express their solidarity with the people of Kashmir.
The two countries have fought two out of three wars since 1947 over the disputed territory. On Aug. 5, 2019, India unilaterally revoked the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir that it administers, stripping it of the limited autonomy it enjoyed. The development was followed by Pakistan’s decision to downgrade its diplomatic ties with New Delhi.
"The dangerous military escalation initiated by India in May 2025 serves as a stark reminder that true and durable peace in South Asia remains impossible unless the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir is resolved," Zardari was quoted as saying by his office.
Tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi persist after both countries engaged in the worst fighting between them in decades in May 2025. The conflict stemmed from India's accusations that Pakistan had supported an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that left several tourists dead. Islamabad denied the allegations and called for a credible probe into the matter.
Zardari urged the international community to persuade India to stop its alleged rights violations in Kashmir and allow "unfettered access" to rights observers in the territory.
Pakistan accuses India of jailing Kashmiri leaders, subjecting the media to restrictions in the Himalayan territory and oppressing the people of Kashmir. India has always denied these allegations and accused Islamabad of stoking militancy in the region.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his message on Kashmir Day, said India's actions on Aug. 5, 2019, were in violation of the UN Charter and also constitute a "blatant disregard" of relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
"Today, on Kashmir Solidarity Day, I assure my Kashmiri brothers and sisters that Pakistan will continue to extend its full moral, diplomatic, and political support to the Kashmiri people’s struggle for freedom until they realize their right to self-determination through the promised free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations," Sharif said.
