Ali Hamza
QUETTA: On the occasion of Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir (Kashmir Exploitation Day), Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti presented a joint resolution in the Balochistan Provincial Assembly condemning India’s unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, regarding Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The resolution was unanimously passed by the House.
The resolution was jointly moved by Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, Provincial Ministers Mir Muhammad Sadiq Umrani, Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, Mir Shoaib Nosherwani, Faisal Khan Jamali, and Parliamentary Secretary Barkat Ali Rind.
The Assembly declared India’s revocation of Articles 370 and 35A of its Constitution on August 5, 2019, as unconstitutional, illegal, and a violation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions on the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the resolution, Article 370 granted the region special constitutional status, including its own constitution, flag, and internal autonomy, while Article 35A safeguarded the rights of permanent residents regarding government employment, property ownership, and residency. The Assembly stated that the removal of these provisions was an attempt to undermine the identity, constitutional status, and fundamental rights of the Kashmiri people.
The House also expressed serious concern over what it described as efforts to alter the demographic composition of IIOJK by allowing non-residents to purchase land and obtain government jobs, calling such measures a violation of international law.
The resolution strongly condemned alleged human rights violations in Kashmir, including state repression, prolonged lockdowns, arbitrary arrests, restrictions on media freedom, and other actions aimed at suppressing the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s support for the people of Kashmir, the Balochistan Assembly pledged continued political, diplomatic, moral, and legal support for their cause, stating that Pakistan would continue to stand with the Kashmiri people.
The Assembly also reaffirmed the observance of Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir every year on August 5, emphasizing that awareness campaigns and events would continue to highlight the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) before the international community.
Furthermore, the provincial government urged the federal government to raise the Kashmir dispute more effectively at the United Nations (UN), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and other international forums through proactive diplomacy, while calling for a comprehensive national strategy to strengthen legal and diplomatic support for the people of IIOJK.
The resolution concluded by paying tribute to the resilience, sacrifices, and struggle of the Kashmiri people and prayed for lasting peace, justice, and freedom for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
