Kashmir Solidarity Day ( ur, ) or Kashmir Day is a national holiday observed in Pakistan on 5 February annually. It is observed to show Pakistan's support and unity with the people of Indian-administered

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

and Kashmiri separatists' efforts to secede from India, and to pay homage to the

Kashmiris Kashmiris are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group speaking the Kashmiri language, living mostly, but not exclusively, in the Kashmir Valley of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, India.(a) (subscriptio ...

who have died in the conflict. Solidarity rallies are held in the Pakistani-administered territory of

Azad Jammu and Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger ...

, Pakistan and by Mirpuri Kashmiris in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. Kashmir Day was first proposed by Qazi Hussain Ahmad of the

Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami (JI; Urdu: , "Islamic Congress"), or Jamaat as it is simply known, is an Islamist political party which is based in Pakistan and it is the Pakistani successor to Jamaat-e-Islami, which was founded in colonial India in 1941. It ...

in 1990, and supported by

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime minister of Pak ...

. The current commemoration was started by the Pakistani minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas in 2004.

History

Kashmir Day was first proposed by Qazi Hussain Ahmad of the

in 1990. In 1991, the then-Prime Minister of Pakistan

called for a "Kashmir Solidarity Day Strike". Sharif had come to power with the help of the Jamaat in the previous year, and the 1991 event was also a Jamaat affair. The current 'Kashmir Solidarity Day' was started by the Pakistani minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas in 2004. The 2007 event was organized by Jamaat-ud-dawa, the religious charity associated with the banned Islamist terrorist organization

Lashkar-e-Taiba Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT; ur, ; literally ''Army of the Good'', translated as ''Army of the Righteous'', or ''Army of the Pure'' and alternatively spelled as ''Lashkar-e-Tayyiba'', ''Lashkar-e-Toiba'', ''Lashkar-i-Taiba'', ''Lashkar-i-Tayyeba'') ...

. The solidarity rally was addressed by

Hafiz Saeed Hafiz Muhammad Saeed ( ur, , born 5 June 1950) is a Pakistani Islamist who co-founded Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistan-based Islamist militant organization that is designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Security Council, Ind ...

, the chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba. In 2021, the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

passed a resolution calling on the Governor of New York to recognize the day as Kashmir American Day. According to the resolution, the day is meant to recognize New York's Kashmiri community and to "champion human rights including the freedom of religion". In 2022, the residents in several towns of Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir called it a "Fraud Day", and criticised the government for poor infrastructure as compared to Indian-administered Kashmir. Also in 2022, the Pakistani franchises of international companies such as Hyundai and Kia Motors, Suzuki Motors, Toyota, KFC, Pizza Hut, etc. issued advertisements in favour of Kashmiris 'right to freedom'. Their parent international companies apologised for the partisan nature of the acts and said that their names were used without authorisation. Gautam Mukherjee
Hijab hypocrisy: Seeking religious concessions for women in secular institutions, but keeping mum on access to mosques
Firstpost, 11 February 2022.

Notes

References

External links

*
Nation to observe Kashmir Day today
Pakistan Today, 4 February 2015. {{Public holidays in Pakistan Kashmir conflict Public holidays in Pakistan Nawaz Sharif administration Azad Kashmir Culture of Jammu and Kashmir February observances

History

See also

Notes

References

External links