PM, President pay tribute to Jammu Martyrs, reaffirm Pakistan’s full support to Kashmiris

• Leaders condemn 1947 Jammu massacre as ‘forgotten genocide’ of South Asia
• Premier Shehbaz says India’s illegal occupation defies UN resolutions, international law
• Zardari urges UN to recognise Jammu killings as genocide and hold India accountable
• Law Minister says over 250,000 Muslims massacred in state-sponsored ethnic cleansing
• Amir Muqam terms the 1947 tragedy ‘Kashmir’s Holocaust’ still echoing today

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top leadership—including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari—on Tuesday paid solemn homage to the thousands of Kashmiri martyrs brutally killed on November 6, 1947, reaffirming Pakistan’s unwavering diplomatic, political, and moral support to the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in their decades-long struggle for self-determination.

The national leaders, joined by federal ministers and senior officials, observed Youm-e-Shuhada-e-Jammu (Jammu Martyrs’ Day) to mark what they described as one of the darkest and bloodiest chapters in the history of South Asia—when over 237,000 Muslims were massacred in a state-sponsored genocide in Jammu aimed at changing the region’s demographic composition.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his message, said that India’s occupation of Jammu and Kashmir remains illegal and illegitimate, in utter defiance of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and international law. “Pakistan and all advocates of fundamental human rights voice their censure in the strongest terms,” the premier said, describing India as “guilty of protracted violations” of both human rights and international law.

He termed November 6, 1947 as the darkest day in Kashmiri history, recalling that Indian forces and extremist militias had unleashed systematic torture, killings, and forced displacement to alter the Muslim-majority character of Jammu. “Such illegal and unilateral attempts continue to this day—with the unlawful measures of August 5, 2019 serving as their extension,” he added.

The prime minister paid tribute to the exceptional courage and unbreakable resolve of Kashmiris, saying that despite decades of atrocities, they never surrendered to oppression. “Each generation of Kashmiris has stood firm in the face of occupation. Their sacrifices are the foundation of their rightful struggle for freedom,” he said.

He reaffirmed that Pakistan would never abandon its Kashmiri brethren and would continue to support their cause on every international forum. “Today, we renew our pledge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them until justice is delivered and the promise of self-determination is fulfilled,” he added.

President Zardari: ‘Jammu massacre a forgotten genocide’

In his message, President Asif Ali Zardari called the Jammu massacre of 1947 “one of the darkest chapters of modern history,” lamenting that while the world remembers other great human tragedies, the genocide of Kashmiri Muslims has “never received the recognition it deserves.”

“The scale of brutality was staggering—entire villages wiped out, families torn apart,” he said. “We call upon the international community and the United Nations to recognize the Jammu massacre as genocide and to hold India accountable for its continuing violations of international law, including its efforts to alter the demographic structure of IIOJK.”

The president said that the pattern of repression that began in 1947 continued under India’s modern state apparatus. “What started as a campaign of extermination by the Dogra ruler and RSS extremists has evolved into systematic demographic engineering by the Indian state,” he noted.

Zardari condemned the revocation of Articles 370 and 35-A in August 2019, the seizure of land, and influx of non-locals into the occupied territory, describing these as part of the same design to erase Kashmir’s Muslim identity. “The story of Kashmir remains unfinished — it began with forced occupation in 1947 and continues under India’s illegal rule today,” he said.

‘Jammu genocide among largest in South Asian history’

Federal Law Minister Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar said the events of October–November 1947 represented one of the largest genocides in South Asian history, unfolding within just two months.

“Historians have called it one of the darkest chapters of the twentieth century. Yet, while the world remembers 9/11 or Nazi atrocities, it continues to overlook the massacre of over 250,000 innocent Muslims in Jammu, whose only crime was their faith and aspiration for freedom,” he said in a message.

Tarar described the killings as a state-sponsored campaign of ethnic cleansing aimed at permanently changing Jammu and Kashmir’s demography. “Over half a million people were forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in Pakistan, as entire communities were wiped out,” he said.

He urged the international community to break its silence and help ensure that India’s human rights violations in IIOJK are brought before the world. “This is not only a historical obligation but a moral duty,” he added.

‘Kashmir’s Holocaust still echoes today’

Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Engr. Amir Muqam, said November 6, 1947, marked “one of the most tragic and defining chapters in the history of IIOJK.”

“Hundreds of thousands of innocent Muslims were mercilessly killed by Dogra forces and RSS militias in a coordinated campaign of ethnic cleansing,” he said, terming it ‘Kashmir’s Holocaust’ that symbolized the systematic attempt to erase the region’s Muslim identity.

Muqam said the tragedy still resonates today as the people of IIOJK continue to endure occupation, arbitrary detentions, communication blackouts, and suppression of basic freedoms.

He linked the 1947 genocide with India’s unlawful actions of August 5, 2019, saying both reflected “the same ideological objective—to change the Muslim-majority status of Kashmir through demographic engineering and state coercion.”

“Despite seven decades of oppression, Kashmiris remain unyielding in their demand for freedom. Pakistan will continue to stand with them politically, morally, and diplomatically until the dream of self-determination is achieved,” he said.

Pakistan’s leadership, through their messages, reiterated a unified stance—that the Jammu massacre was not just a historical tragedy but a continuing reminder of India’s illegal occupation and systematic efforts to silence Kashmiri identity, and that Pakistan’s support for the Kashmiri right to self-determination remains unconditional and unwavering.