Kashmir Day Essay

Kashmir Day, also known as "Youm-e-Yakjehti-e-Kashmir" in Pakistan, is observed on

February 5th each year to commemorate the ongoing struggle of the people of Kashmir
for self-determination and to express solidarity with them.

The history of Kashmir starts with the preoccupation of Kashmir by India. In 1947 during
the independence of both Pakistan and India from the British, rulers of the princely states
were given the choice to join either Pakistan or India. Ruler of Kashmir Hari Singh, wanted
to delay the decision in order to maintain his own independence. The maharaja did not
treat the Muslims in his region well and started a campaign to drive them out of Kashmir.
Over 200,000 Muslims came to Pakistan and rose in rebellion due to which the maharaja
has to accede to India in order to get help from the pressures of the rebellion.

This situation was unacceptable to Pakistan and took the issue to the United Nations
since both the counties were not strong enough to start a war hence, a ceasefire was
arranged and Kashmir was divided into Pakistan and India but it angered Pakistan as India
got the larger and the more populous part, this also included the capital Srinagar.

Kashmir Solidarity Day was established by the opposition leader of Pakistan at the time,
Nawaz Sharif, in 1990 to raise awareness about the ongoing struggles from the Indian
army and Kashmir’s self-determination and also to show support to the Kashmiris.
This day is also used to highlight the widespread violations done by the Indian security on
human rights such as extrajudicial killings, torture etc which have been documented by
human rights organizations but are not talked about. Despite of which Kashmir has not
given up to achieve the peace and freedom which they long strived for.

In conclusion, Kashmir Day serves as an important reminder of the ongoing struggle of the
people of Kashmir and to draw attention to the human rights abuses committed against
them. It is a day to show solidarity with the Kashmiri people and to renew our
commitment to supporting their cause until a just and lasting solution is achieved.