Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday urged India to resolve the Kashmir issue via dialogue as Pakistan marked the fifth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
The Indian government abrogated Article 370, along with Article 35A, on August 5, 2019, and the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Pakistan designated August 5 as ‘Youm-i-Istehsal’ in 2020 and observes the day annually to register its protest to the Indian action.
“India must move from dispute denial to dispute resolution” in the interest of lasting peace and security in South Asia, Sharif said in a televised address to lawmakers in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
He said Pakistan was a nuclear power and that was part of its defence. However, he said Pakistan had never thought of aggression with regard to its nuclear power.
“Therefore the better option is to adopt the peaceful way and sit together to find out the peaceful solution to the Kashmir dispute,” he was quoted as saying by the state-run Radio Pakistan.
India has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan while insisting that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment that is free of terror and hostility for such an engagement.
India’s relationship with Pakistan suffered a setback in 2019 when Islamabad downgraded its ties with New Delhi after the Indian Parliament suspended Article 370.
A range of activities were organised throughout the country to observe the day, with Pakistan’s diplomatic missions around the world also arranging special events.
The Foreign Office said in a statement that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar wrote “letters to the leadership of the United Nations and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to apprise them” of the situation in the region.
Rallies were held in Muzaffarabad. Banners, placards, and posters were displayed across PoK, while documentaries were screened in major cities of the region.
In Islamabad, a rally led by Deputy Prime Minister Dar was held on Constitution Avenue to mark the day.
In PoK, a special session of the Legislative Assembly was also held to mark the occasion.
Separately, Pakistan’s Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, the services chiefs and the Pakistan Armed Forces also reaffirmed their “steadfast solidarity” with the people of Kashmir.
“We unequivocally support their legitimate and protracted struggle for the inalienable right to self-determination,” the army said in a statement.
It further said it was “axiomatic that lasting peace and stability in the region hinge on the resolution of the long-standing Kashmir dispute” as per UN resolutions.
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