Kashmir Solidarity Day: Pakistan invited India for dialogue on Kashmir

February 5, 2014

Screenshot_8 On the Kashmir Solidarity Day, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif invited India to engage in a “comprehensive, sustained and result-oriented” dialogue with Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue. The mountainous region of Kashmir has been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan for more than 60 years. The Prime Minister expressed the confidence that the Indian leadership would realize the sensitivity of the issue and will respond to his invitation of dialogue in a positive manner and give right to self-determination to the people of Kashmir.

Why is Kashmir disputed?

The territory of Kashmir was hotly contested even before India and Pakistan won their independence from Britain in August 1947.

Under the partition plan provided by the Indian Independence Act of 1947, Kashmir was free to accede to India or Pakistan.
The Maharaja of Kashmir, Hari Singh, wanted to stay independent but eventually decided to accede to India, signing over key powers to the Indian government – in return for military aid and a promised referendum. Since then, the territory has been the spark for two of the three India-Pakistan wars: the first in 1947-8, the second in 1965.
In 1999, India fought a brief but bitter conflict with Pakistani-backed forces who had infiltrated Indian-controlled territory in the Kargil area.
Currently a boundary – the Line of Control – divides the region in two, with one part administered by India and one by Pakistan. India would like to formalise this status quo and make it the accepted international boundary. But Pakistan and Kashmiri activists reject this plan because they both want greater control over the region.

Kashmir Solidarity Day

Screenshot_7 Also known as “Kashmir Day” is a national holiday in Pakistan.
Celebrated every year since 1990 as a day of protest against Indian control of part of Kashmir on February 5.

Why is “Kashmir Solidarity Day” celebrated?

Objective: As per Pakistan, in order to provide sympathetic and political support to the Kashmiri separatists people who they believe are struggling for their freedom from the Indian rule. (The part of Kashmir which are under control of Pakistan are Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit–Baltistan).
Dedicated to show Pakistan’s support and unity with the people of Indian-occupied Kashmir, their ongoing freedom struggle, and to pay homage to Kashmiri martyrs who lost their lives fighting for Kashmir’s freedom.

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