ISLAMABAD: The 78th Accession Day to Pakistan (Youm-e-Ilhaq-e-Pakistan) was observed across Pakistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and among the Kashmiri diaspora on Sunday with renewed pledges of solidarity and commitment to the historic 1947 resolution.

Cities and towns across the nation were adorned with Pakistani and Kashmiri flags as political parties, civil society organizations, and student groups orchestrated public rallies, seminars, conferences, and gatherings reaffirming their steadfast commitment to the resolution adopted by the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference on July 19, 1947, and the implementation of United Nations resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.

Presidential and Prime Ministerial Messages

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in separate messages, emphatically reiterated Pakistan's unwavering support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and urged the international community and the United Nations to assume a more proactive role in ensuring the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions.

President Zardari articulated that Pakistan has "consistently advocated a peaceful and just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people."

"We urge the international community, particularly the United Nations, to fulfill its responsibility by supporting efforts aimed at ensuring the realization of the Kashmiri people's inalienable right to self-determination," the President proclaimed.

PM Shehbaz's Comprehensive Message

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif elucidated that Youm-e-Ilhaq-e-Pakistancommemorates the historic resolution adopted during the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference's Srinagar session on July 19, 1947, characterizing it as a pivotal moment in the political history of the region.

The Prime Minister underscored that the unanimously adopted resolution "reflected the collective political aspirations of the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir" and manifested their desire for the state's accession to Pakistan while exhorting the Dogra rulers to respect "the will of the people."

"The resolution remains an important historical milestone in the political struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir," the Prime Minister stated, adding that the occasion served as "a reminder of the enduring bonds that unite the peoples of Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir," predicated on "shared history, faith, culture, geography and longstanding ties."

"Above all, it underscores the central importance of respecting the freely expressed will of the Kashmiri people," PM Shehbaz emphasized.

Historical Context and Significance

On July 19, 1947, the bona fide representatives of the Kashmiris unanimously promulgated the resolution of Kashmir's accession to Pakistan during a meeting of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference at the residence of Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan in Aabi Guzar area of Srinagar.

The historic resolution implored for the accession of the state of Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan in view of its existing religious, geographical, cultural, and economic proximity to Pakistan and the aspirations of millions of Kashmiri Muslims.

Reaffirming Pakistan's position on the dispute, the Prime Minister stated that the country remained "steadfast in its principled support for the inalienable right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as enshrined in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions."

Official Social Media Statements

For nearly eight decades, the Jammu and Kashmir dispute has remained unresolved despite relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions recognizing the right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to self-determination. The continued denial of this fundamental right, coupled with persistent human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), remains a matter of serious concern for the international community.