The federal government has announced February 5 (Monday) as a public holiday to commemorate Kashmir Solidarity Day, according to a notification released on Friday.
Kashmir Day
According to the announcement, the State of Pakistan will observe a one-minute silence at 10 a.m. on February 5 (Monday), a public holiday, to show sympathy with the people of Kashmir in their struggle for independence from India.
Conferences, marches, and events commemorating the day are planned in towns around the country, shedding light on the crimes done by Indian troops to destroy the Kashmiri movement for independence over the last seven decades.
Article 370
The Kashmir issue remains a flashpoint between Pakistan and India, with Islamabad repeatedly pressing the world to convene a plebiscite on Kashmir.
Recently, the Indian Supreme Court held that Article 370, which provided special status to Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), was only transitory and that the occupied area was an intrinsic part of the country.
On August 5, 2019, the Narendra Modi regime, in gross violation of United Nations resolutions and international law, repealed Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution, which granted special autonomous status to Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and imposed a military siege on the territory.
As a result, the state with more than 12 million inhabitants was divided into two federally governed areas.
Following that, a bundle of petitions challenged the repeal of Article 370 of the Constitution, and a five-judge panel led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud heard the case for 16 days before giving its ruling on September 5.
While announcing the reserved verdict, the Indian Supreme Court found that the seized region became an integral part of India, as evidenced by Articles 1 and 370 of the constitution.
In its September reserved judgement, the Supreme Court stated that Occupied Kashmir was an important part of India that had not achieved internal sovereignty after entering the Union.
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