EACH year, the government and people of Pakistan observe 5 February as Kashmir Solidarity Day, reaffirming their unwavering support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly those living under Indian occupation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Since 1990, Kashmiris have endured systematic human rights violations at the hands of Indian security forces, making this solidarity not merely symbolic but a moral, political and humanitarian obligation. Kashmir Solidarity Day-2026 is being observed in a significantly changed regional environment. Pakistan’s decisive response to Indian military aggression in May 2025 has altered the strategic balance in South Asia and reinforced Pakistan’s deterrence posture.

This development carries particular relevance for Kashmir, especially in the aftermath of India’s unilateral and illegal revocation of Articles 370 and 35-A on 5 August 2019, through which New Delhi downgraded the internationally recognized disputed territory from a state to two union territories. This act constituted a blatant violation of the UN Charter, UN Security Council resolutions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).

Pakistan’s solidarity with Kashmiris is centered on five key objectives. First, to demand that India should restore the pre-August 5, 2019 status of IIOJK by reversing its illegal acts, Second, to prevail upon and pressurize India to immediately stop massive human rights violations in IIOJK, third, to raise international awareness regarding the unresolved nature of the Kashmir dispute, four, to compel India for........

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