On August 5, 2019, the Indian government unilaterally and illegally abrogated Articles 370 and 35A of its constitution, revoking the special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK). This act was not just a constitutional coup but a calculated assault on international law, the rights of the Kashmiri people, and the fragile peace of South Asia.
As Pakistan observes Youm-e-Istehsal on August 5, 2025, it marks six years since India turned its back on its commitments to the Kashmiri people and the global community. The day serves as a painful reminder of occupation, oppression, and the ongoing struggle for freedom in IIOJK.
Following the revocation, India placed IIOJK under an unprecedented military siege, deploying tens of thousands of additional troops, imposing a communications blackout, and detaining thousands of political leaders, journalists, and civilians without charge. What followed was not the promised development, but a chilling silence enforced at gunpoint.
Basic freedoms were stripped away. The people of IIOJK were cut off from the world as India sought to consolidate its hold through coercion, censorship, and brute force. India has been involved in committing serious crimes against humanity which have been recorded by a number of international organisations for decades. Even media reports and various international organisations highlight the gross human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir. Draconian laws have been introduced in IIOJK.
India’s actions since August 5, 2019, have revealed its long-term objective: to change the demographic composition of Jammu & Kashmir to undermine the majority of real native Muslim residents.
New domicile laws have granted tens of thousands of non-Kashmiris the right to settle in the region. Land ownership restrictions have been dismantled, and the issuance of domicile certificates to outsiders continues unabated. These measures violate the Fourth Geneva Convention, which explicitly prohibits an occupying power from transferring parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.
India’s demographic engineering is a blatant war crime and an affront to every norm of international law. These Indian measures are also violations of the UN Resolutions.
India has repeatedly claimed that the abrogation of Article 370 would bring economic growth and social stability to the region. However, the ground reality paints a bleak picture. Tourism—once a backbone of Kashmir’s economy—has plummeted. Unemployment is rampant. Human rights violations have intensified. The educational sector is in crisis due to ongoing restrictions, frequent shutdowns, and the psychological trauma faced by youth.
Reports from independent human rights organisations continue to highlight extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and the excessive use of force against peaceful protesters. Far from integration, these measures have deepened alienation and resentment among Kashmiris.
India’s policies in IIOJK are not only politically repressive but also ecologically destructive. Unchecked construction and militarisation in ecologically sensitive areas are threatening the region’s delicate ecosystem. The military occupation has led to deforestation, pollution of water bodies, and irreversible damage to the region's natural heritage.
The psychological toll on the population is equally grave. Generations of children in Kashmir have grown up surrounded by soldiers, gunfire, and uncertainty—leading to an epidemic of PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
Kashmir is not an internal matter of India. It is a recognized international dispute, pending resolution through a free and impartial plebiscite under UN Security Council Resolutions. The unilateral actions taken by India on and after August 5, 2019, are not only illegal but dangerously destabilizing for the region.
Peace in South Asia is impossible without resolving the Kashmir issue in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. The continuation of India’s oppressive policies threatens regional stability and could ignite wider conflict in the region.
Pakistan continues to stand firm in its unwavering support for the people of Jammu & Kashmir. Diplomatically, politically, and morally, Pakistan has raised the Kashmir issue at every international forum. The voices of Kashmiris have been amplified in the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and among global civil society, thanks in part to Pakistan’s proactive diplomacy.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has reiterated unwavering diplomatic, political, and moral support for the people of Jammu & Kashmir.
As Pakistan observes Youm-e-Istehsal in 2025, the world must not look away. The international community has a moral and legal obligation to act. Pakistan calls upon governments to apply diplomatic pressure on India, halt arms sales, and sanction individuals and entities complicit in human rights abuses in IIOJK. The UN and international legal bodies should initiate investigations into war crimes and demographic manipulation in IIOJK.
Six years on, the Kashmiri people's resilience remains unbroken. Despite Indian efforts to silence, suppress, and subdue, their spirit of resistance continues to burn brightly. Youm-e-Istehsal is not just a commemoration of loss, but a reaffirmation of solidarity. It is a call to action—for justice, for peace, and above all, for the inalienable right to self-determination.
The world must remember: Occupation cannot erase identity. Repression cannot kill hope.
The writer is former News Editor of APP, Translator،Columnist and Freelance Journalist۔
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