Muzaffarabad, February 5, 2025: On the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Kashmiri people and urged India to engage in meaningful dialogue to resolve the longstanding Kashmir dispute.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif began his engagements in Muzaffarabad by laying a wreath at the Martyrs’ Memorial, honoring those who sacrificed their lives for Kashmir’s freedom. He was accompanied by Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq and Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir. A special contingent of the Azad Kashmir Police presented a salute, and the national anthem of Pakistan was played during the solemn ceremony.
Later, addressing a special session of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Kashmir Solidarity Day, PM Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the Kashmir cause.
“Today, on this important day, I stand here with my colleagues to show our solidarity with our Kashmiri brothers and sisters on behalf of the people and government of Pakistan,” he said.
He strongly criticized India’s actions in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and called on New Delhi to move beyond its August 5, 2019 stance—a reference to India’s revocation of Kashmir’s special status—and engage in serious and productive dialogue.
“It is in the best interest of the region for India to realize that the Kashmiris’ yearning for freedom cannot be suppressed by force,” he asserted.
PM Shehbaz warned that India’s aggressive policies would only fuel further unrest, stressing that the Kashmir issue had global implications. He reiterated that Pakistan would continue raising the Kashmir dispute at international forums such as the United Nations (UN) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir Chaudhry Anwarul Haq also spoke at the session, reaffirming Pakistan’s unwavering support for Kashmir’s freedom struggle.
“We will never leave the Kashmiris alone. The completion of Kashmir’s liberation is Pakistan’s unfinished agenda,” he stated.
Later, PM Shehbaz Sharif met with a delegation of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), where he reaffirmed Pakistan’s moral, diplomatic, and political support for the Kashmiri people’s struggle for self-determination.
“The sacrifices of Kashmiris who have laid down their lives for their rights will not go in vain,” the Prime Minister said, urging the international community to act against Indian aggression and human rights violations in Kashmir.
He also directed Federal Ministers Ahsan Iqbal and Engineer Amir Muqam to formulate a strategy addressing the concerns of refugees in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The APHC leaders thanked Pakistan for its unwavering support and commended the Prime Minister for advocating the Kashmir cause on international platforms.
