ON 5 August 2019 India annexed Jammu and Kashmir dissolving region’s autonomy, diminishing its status. Introducing new domicile laws, India sought to integrate the territory fully into its federal structure. These measures were unilateral and incapable of altering the disputed status of Jammu & Kashmir, which remains subject to UN resolutions calling for the people of Jammu and Kashmir to determine their own future through a free and impartial plebiscite. On 5 August 2026, Pakistan will observe Yaum-e-Istehsal (Day of Exploitation) to mark seven years since India revoked the special constitutional status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) through the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A of its Constitution. For Pakistan, the date is far more than a remembrance. It represents what Pakistan views as a watershed moment that fundamentally altered the political, demographic and constitutional character of the disputed territory in violation of international law and UNSC resolutions. Seven years later, the observance continues to serve as a reminder that, despite changing geopolitical priorities and shifting global alliances, Kashmir dispute remains unresolved and continues to shape regional stability.

Yaum-e-Istehsal is not merely a political observance but an expression of Pakistan’s diplomatic narrative that the legal status of Kashmir cannot be changed through constitutional amendments or administrative decrees. Pakistan maintains that no domestic legislation........

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