Pakistan says it will continue to stand by Kashmiris till the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

In a statement on the occasion of Kashmir Martyrs Day today (Monday), Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said the government and people of Pakistan join Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and across the globe to pay homage to the 22 innocent and unarmed Kashmiris who stood up for truth and justice against the tyranny of the Dogra force in 1931.

She said their extraordinary courage and sacrifice kindled a valiant struggle for the Kashmiris' right to self-determination that continues to-date.

The Spokesperson said no less brutal than the Dogra force, the Indian occupation forces have martyred hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris and grievously hurt millions of families in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Yet, they have failed to break the will of the Kashmiris and weaken their resolve to secure freedom from Indian occupation. 

India's illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019, aimed at erasing the distinct identity of the people of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, have further fortified the Kashmiris' quest for freedom and self-determination and lent even greater poignancy to the Kashmir Martyrs' Day.

The Spokesperson said Pakistan and the Kashmiris deeply honour the Kashmiri martyrs, who have hallowed the just Kashmiri cause with their supreme sacrifice and continue to inspire generations.

While condemning the state-terrorism being perpetrated by Indian occupation forces in IOJ&K, the Spokesperson called upon the international community to take practical steps to stop India from the continuing brutalization of the Kashmiri people including extra-judicial killings and illegal attempts to change the demographic structure of IOJ&K.  She said India must be held accountable for its unspeakable crimes against the Kashmiri people.