ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday that the Narendra Modi-led Indian government is reportedly planning to restore the statehood of Jammu, while keeping the union territory status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) intact — a move he condemned as unacceptable and provocative.
Dar made these remarks while addressing a rally held to mark Youm-e-Istehsal, the sixth anniversary of India’s revocation of the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019. The rally, organized by the Foreign Office, culminated at D-Chowk in Islamabad and was aimed at expressing solidarity with the Kashmiri people.
Referring to Indian media reports, Dar said that the Modi government may announce in the coming days — or even within hours — the restoration of statehood to the Jammu region. He noted that under this proposal, Jammu would regain statehood, while Kashmir would continue to be governed as a union territory.
“This arrangement is condemnable and unacceptable,” Dar asserted, adding that such tactics are intended to divert global attention and reinforce India’s illegal occupation of the region.
Indian speculation around the move has grown following a series of meetings between Indian President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Home Minister Amit Shah. The developments come ahead of a scheduled Indian Supreme Court hearing on August 8, where a petition will be heard seeking directives for the central government to restore full statehood to IIOJK.
Read Top Stories
In his speech, Dar called on India to repeal all illegal measures taken on August 5, 2019, to end human rights violations in the occupied region, and to lift the ongoing media blackout. He emphasized that Pakistan would continue to provide political, diplomatic, and moral support to the people of Kashmir until they are granted their UN-recognised right to self-determination.
Dar reiterated that the Kashmir dispute is not an internal matter of India, but an internationally recognised conflict that cannot be resolved through unilateral legislation or court rulings. He said that Pakistan advocates for peaceful coexistence and dialogue, but cautioned against misinterpreting this approach as weakness.
He warned that Pakistan’s armed forces and its people remain fully prepared to respond decisively to any act of aggression, citing the recent episode dubbed “Marka-e-Haq” — the period from the Pahalgam attack on April 22 to the conclusion of Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos on May 10 — as proof of Pakistan’s readiness and resolve.