What happened
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on 13 July 2026 paid tribute to the 22 Kashmiris killed in 1931 when the Dogra administration opened fire on peaceful demonstrators in Srinagar, and reaffirmed Pakistan’s political, diplomatic and moral support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan Today reported.
The day, observed annually on 13 July as Youm-e-Shuhada-e-Kashmir, was marked by the president’s office as the 95th Kashmir Martyrs’ Day.
The prime minister’s message
In his message, Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan stood “in complete solidarity” with the Kashmiri struggle for self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. “Lasting peace and stability in South Asia remain contingent upon the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions,” he said.
The prime minister said the 1931 killings marked a defining moment in the political awakening of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and their struggle for dignity, fundamental rights and identity. He said the resolve of the Kashmiri people remained unshaken despite heavy militarisation, continued repression and persistent human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, citing arbitrary detentions, the suppression of political dissent, restrictions on the media and attempts to alter the demographic and political landscape of the territory.
He said such practices had been documented and condemned by international human rights organisations and United Nations human rights mechanisms, and paid homage to the courage and sacrifices of all the martyrs of Jammu and Kashmir.
The president’s message
President Zardari said the people of Pakistan joined their “Kashmiri brethren” in commemorating the sacrifice of the martyrs of 1931, and said Kashmiris were “still struggling against India’s illegal occupation”.
He said more than 900,000 Indian occupation forces continued to hold the Kashmiri people hostage to perpetuate what he described as the wrongful occupation, and referred to India’s unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 as an attempt to strip Kashmiris of their distinct identity. He said India had scrapped the regional public holiday on Kashmir Martyrs’ Day, observed every year since 1948, and discontinued the traditional Guard of Honour ceremony at the Martyrs’ Graveyard.
The president urged India to halt repression in IIOJK, cease human rights violations, release political prisoners, lift the military siege and stop attempts to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory.
Why it matters
The observance keeps the Kashmir dispute at the centre of Pakistan’s public diplomacy and provides the federal leadership with an annual platform to press its position in United Nations forums. This year’s messages repeated Pakistan’s long-standing demand for a settlement in line with Security Council resolutions and its objections to India’s 2019 actions in the territory.
What is still uncertain
The reports carried Pakistan’s official messages and did not include any response from India. They also did not provide independent verification of the casualty, detention or demographic figures cited in the statements, which are presented here as claims by the Pakistani leadership.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details are as carried by the cited source, which was reviewed on 2026-07-13.
- Pakistan Today — "Pakistan renews unwavering support for Kashmir cause on Martyrs' Day"13 July 2026 · The messages from President Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, their characterisation of the 1931 killings, the UN resolutions, the August 2019 actions and the conditions in IIOJK.
