'We Stand With Kashmiris Against Illegal Occupation', Says Pakistan PM As He Provokes India
11:53 GMT 13.07.2021 (Updated: 09:59 GMT 30.11.2022)
© AP Photo / Rahmat Gul
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Security forces in India are on high alert in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir as separatist leaders have allegedly called for a shutdown on 13 July, known as Kashmir Martyrs' Day. The day commemorates the killing of 21 Kashmiris in 1931 by troops as thousands protested outside Srinagar jail against the imprisonment of an activist.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday reaffirmed his support for the cause of a separatist movement in Indian-occupied Kashmir saying that his country stands with Kashmir in the "struggle of Kashmiris against tyranny and illegal Indian Occupation".
This indomitable spirit of resistance remains alive as Kashmiri men & women continue to fight illegal Indian Occupation. Pakistan stands with the Kashmiris in their just struggle & will not compromise till they get their right to self determination guaranteed by UNSC resolutions.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 13, 2021
Internet services remained undisturbed in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on 13 July as Kashmiris on both side of the Line of Control (LOC) observed Kashmir Martyrs' Day. Last year, internet services had been suspended after separatist leaders called for a shutdown.
On Sunday, the inspector-general of police in the Kashmir Zone said that surveillance had been heightened to ensure peace and added that internet services will not be disrupted.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan was joined by the country's president, Dr Arif Alvi, who said: "The Kashmiri battle against illegal Indian occupation is just and selfless."
The Kashmiri battle against illegal Indian occupation is just and selfless. Pakistan will continue to provide diplomatic, political and legal support to the Kashmiris in IIOJK till they achieve their goal of freedom. That day is not far Insha’Allah. We shall see.
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) July 13, 2021
Martyrs' Day was not observed as an official state holiday by the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, or Ladakh for the second year in a row. The practice was officially stopped on 5 August 2019 in accordance with Article 370 of the Constitution when Jammu and Kashmir had its special status revoked.
The day commemorates a protest against the rule of Maharaja Hari Singh in 1931 in what was then a princely state. On 13 July 1931, 21 Kashmiri men and women were shot dead as they gathered outside Srinagar central jail to protest against the arrest and subsequent trial of Abdul Qadeer Khan, who was an agitator against the Maharajah's Dogra rule.
