Pakistan renews unwavering support for Kashmir cause on Martyrs’ Day

• President Zardari, PM Shehbaz pay glowing tribute to 22 martyrs of 1931, honouring their enduring legacy of sacrifice

• Leadership reaffirms Pakistan’s unwavering political, diplomatic and moral support for people of Jammu and Kashmir

• PM says lasting peace in South Asia hinges on resolving Kashmir dispute in line with UN Security Council resolutions

• President urges India to end repression, release political prisoners and halt demographic changes in IIOJK

 ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday paid glowing tribute to the 22 Kashmiri martyrs who embraced martyrdom in 1931 while facing indiscriminate firing by Dogra forces, reaffirming Pakistan's unwavering political, diplomatic and moral support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and reiterating that lasting peace in South Asia hinges on the peaceful resolution of the longstanding dispute in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

In his message on the occasion of Kashmir Martyrs' Day, observed on July 13, 2026, the prime minister said: "We stand in complete solidarity with their just struggle for the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions."

"Lasting peace and stability in South Asia remain contingent upon the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions," he added.

He said, "Youm-e-Shuhada-e-Kashmir (Kashmir Martyrs' Day) is observed every year on 13 July to pay tribute to the 22 Kashmiris who embraced martyrdom when the Dogra administration opened fire on peaceful demonstrators in Srinagar in 1931."

"Their sacrifice marked a defining moment in the political awakening of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and their struggle for dignity, fundamental rights and identity," he noted.

He said, "Kashmir Martyrs' Day also symbolizes the resilience, courage and unwavering determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, which have inspired generations, to continue their just struggle for justice and the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination. The readiness of the people to make the ultimate sacrifice for this fundamental right continues to shape and define the historical struggle of Jammu and Kashmir."

"Despite heavy militarization, continued repression, and persistent human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the resolve of the Kashmiri people remains unshaken. Arbitrary detentions, suppression of political dissent, restrictions on the media, and attempts to alter the demographic and political landscape of the occupied territory have been widely documented and condemned by international human rights organizations and United Nations human rights mechanisms. Yet, the people of Jammu and Kashmir continue to steadfastly pursue their legitimate aspirations," he remarked.

The prime minister said, "On this solemn occasion, Pakistan pays homage to the courage, resilience, and sacrifices of all the martyrs of Jammu and Kashmir. Their enduring legacy will continue to strengthen the resolve of generations in the ongoing pursuit of the realization of the inalienable right to self-determination."

 

President Zardari pays tribute to Kashmiri martyrs

President Asif Ali Zardari, in his message on Kashmir Martyrs' Day, said: "On this sombre day, the people of Pakistan join their Kashmiri brethren in commemorating the sacrifice of the martyrs of 1931. Regrettably, Kashmiris are still struggling against India's illegal occupation."

Message from the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on Kashmir Martyrs' Day (13th July 2026)

​​Today, on the 95th Kashmir Martyrs' Day (Youm-e-Shuhada-e-Kashmir), I pay rich tribute to the 22 Kashmiri martyrs who rendered the ultimate sacrifice while braving the… pic.twitter.com/4TlC4G077x

— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) July 12, 2026

The president said that even today, the more than 900,000-strong Indian occupation forces continued to hold the Kashmiri people hostage to perpetuate what he described as the wrongful occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.

He said India's illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, were yet another attempt to strip the Kashmiri people of their distinct identity and turn them into a minority in their own land.

Subsequent to these measures, and hurting the sentiments of the Kashmiris, President Zardari said India scrapped the regional public holiday on Kashmir Martyrs' Day, which had been observed every year since 1948. India also discontinued the traditional Guard of Honour ceremony at the Martyrs' Graveyard.

"As we honour the invaluable sacrifice of the heroes of 1931 as well as all innocent Kashmiris who have laid down their lives in this just struggle, we urge India to immediately halt repression in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), cease all human rights violations, release all political prisoners, lift the military siege and stop its attempts to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory," the President Secretariat Media Wing quoted the president as saying in a press release.