ISLAMABAD: The Consulate General of Pakistan in Jeddah organized an event on Wednesday to mark the “Kashmir Exploitation Day,” said an official statement circulated by the country’s diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia.

The event was arranged to condemn New Delhi’s decision to strip Indian-administered Kashmir of its special status on August 5, 2019, as the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government tried to integrate the internationally recognized disputed territory with the rest of the Indian union.

The ceremony was not only attended by prominent Pakistanis and Kashmiris but also senior media representatives in the Kingdom.

According to the official handout, speakers “highlighted the significance of the day” and “condemned the brutalities of the Indian occupying forces” in Kashmir.

They also paid homage to the sacrifices of the people of Kashmir, saying that Pakistan was not willing to step back from its principled stance on the dispute.

The speakers also “reiterated moral, political and diplomatic support to the people of Kashmir,” saying that the residents of the region were pursuing “their just struggle for the right to self-determination, as promised to them by the international community through successive UN Security Council resolutions.”

A brief documentary on the current situation in Indian-administered Kashmir was also screened at the ceremony.

Special messages from Pakistan’s president, prime minister and foreign minister were also read out after the video.

The speakers at the ceremony also displayed the country’s new political map and explained its significance to all the participants.

“The event concluded with collective prayer for the success of Kashmiris’ struggle for their legitimate right to self-determination,” said the statement.