Historic Kashmir Solidarity rally, grand public gathering held in Muzaffarabad

• Afridi says Kashmir freedom struggle is a principled, generational cause

Muzaffarabad: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir chapter, Muhajireen Representative Forum and Kashmir Liberation Cell held a historic rally and a massive public gathering in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, to mark Kashmir Solidarity Day.

According to Beyond the Time News, thousands of Kashmiri refugees, Ansar, representatives of political and social organisations, civil society members, women and students attended the even, demonstrating firm solidarity with the people of occupied Kashmir.

The public gathering began with recitation from the Holy Quran, Naat and the national anthems of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir said Kashmir Solidarity Day was deeply linked with Pakistan’s national identity and ideological foundation. He said Kashmiris and Pakistanis across the world were conveying a clear message to India that the continued oppression in occupied Jammu and Kashmir was unacceptable.

APHC Azad Kashmir chapter Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi said that Kashmir Solidarity Day had now become a national day of Pakistan and its echo was being heard at international forums, including the OIC and Türkiye. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s steadfast commitment to the Kashmir cause.

APHC thanks Pakistan for observing Kashmir Solidarity Day tomorrow

Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Deputy Ameer Liaquat Baloch said that just as India’s occupation of Kashmir was illegal, Israel’s occupation of Palestine was also illegitimate, and that oppressed nations would continue their freedom struggles at all costs.

Former APHC Convener Mahmood Ahmed Saghar said the unity and resolve of the people of Azad Kashmir and Pakistan were clear indicators that the freedom of occupied Jammu and Kashmir was not far away.

Several other leaders, including AJK Prime Minister’s spokesperson Shaukat Javed Mir, Chairman Muhajireen Representative Forum Ghulam Hassan Butt, Muslim Conference leader Advocate Yasir Naqvi, Jamaat-e-Islami AJK leader Sheikh Aqeel-ur-Rehman, Dr Mushtaq, JUI leader Maulana Muhammad Younis Shakir, President Jammu Kashmir United Movement Azmat Hayat and Chairman Kashmir Supreme League Masood Khan, also addressed the gathering and reiterated unwavering support for the Kashmir freedom struggle.

A resolution presented by the Kashmir Liberation Cell was unanimously adopted, declaring Jammu and Kashmir an internationally recognised dispute and stressing that its resolution was possible only through the UN-mandated right to self-determination. The resolution strongly condemned Indian atrocities, including grave human rights violations, arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and attempts to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory.

After the public meeting, a peaceful and well-organised rally was taken out in which women, refugees and Ansar participated in large numbers. The rally passed through different areas of the city and concluded peacefully.

Renowned cricketer and national hero Shahid Khan Afridi attended the rally and public gathering as a special guest. Addressing the participants, he expressed deep solidarity with the Kashmiri people and said standing shoulder to shoulder with them on Kashmir Solidarity Day was his moral and national duty. He said the Kashmir freedom movement was not merely a political struggle but a principled and generational cause, adding that his family’s historical link with Kashmir made the struggle even closer to his heart.

APHC General Secretary Advocate Parvez Ahmad Shah performed the duties of stage secretary, welcoming participants from political, religious and social organisations and appreciating their discipline and commitment. Kashmir Liberation Cell Director Dr Raja Sajjad, in his opening remarks, said the message from Muzaffarabad was clear that the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir were not alone in their struggle and that Kashmir belonged to Kashmiris alone, whose future must be decided through their right to self-determination.