Kashmir day Solidarity – 5th February

Kashmir Solidarity Day has been observed on 5th February each year since 1990 in Pakistan as a day of protest against Indian control of part of Kashmir.It is a national holiday in Pakistan. Kashmir Day was first proposed by Qazi Hussain Ahmad of the Jamaat-e-Islami party in Pakistan in 1990. Pakistan considers Kashmir as the core issue, between India and Pakistan, leading to three wars and devoting a major portion of Pakistan budget to military.

Pakistan claims that atrocities are being committed by the Indian state in Kashmir. During the Kashmir valley protest in the summer of 2010 Syed Ali Shah Geelani, a key separatist leader, said “We want end to Indian occupation here and have already laid out our proposal for initiating a dialogue.”

The purpose of Kashmir Solidarity day as per Pakistani view, is to provide sympathetic and political support to the Kashmiri separatists people who they believe are struggling for their freedom from the Indian rule.