The All Parties Hurriyat Conference honoured the Pakistani martyrs of the 1965 war on Pakistan Defence Day, today, lauding their extraordinary bravery in defending the country against Indian aggression.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas in a statement in Srinagar noted that Pakistan’s armed forces not only safeguarded the homeland but also sent a resolute message to India by thwarting its malicious intentions. He pointed out that India has consistently rejected the existence of Pakistan and has engaged in conspiracies against it from the very beginning. Minhas highlighted that India’s illegal occupation of the Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir and its suppression of the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination has persisted for over seven decades. He commended Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Kashmiris’ just cause and stressed that any prospects for normalizing relations between New Delhi and Islamabad hinge on resolving the Kashmir dispute in line with United Nations resolutions.
Posters reappeared in Srinagar and other areas of IIOJK, celebrating the commitment of the Pakistani armed forces to defend Pakistan and stand by their Kashmiri brethren.
The occupation authorities once again placed senior APHC leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest in Srinagar, barring him from offering the obligatory Juma prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid today. Anjuman Auqaf of Jamia Masjid in a statement condemned this arbitrary detention, describing it as a severe infringement on religious freedoms.
Meanwhile, speakers at a seminar organized by the APHC-AJK chapter in Islamabad paid glowing tributes to the martyrs of September 6, 1965, highlighting their bravery and courage as a monumental chapter in Pakistan’s history. The event, chaired by Ghulam Mohammad Safi, featured retired Lt. Gen Raza Mohammad Khan as the chief guest. Additionally, various events were held across AJK to commemorate Pakistan Defence Day. The Pasban-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir organized a rally in Muzaffarabad to honour the 1965 war martyrs, and a flag-hoisting ceremony took place at the Manikpiyan refugee camp in the city.
Separately, the APHC-AJK chapter in a statement asserted that Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally-recognized disputed territory, and the ongoing so-called assembly election held there is no substitute for an UN-mandated referendum to determine the region’s political future. It stressed that the Kashmiris have never accepted the unlawful Indian occupation and remain committed to continuing their struggle until achieving their sacred goal of freedom.