Pak to mark Aug 5 as Day of Exploitation to protest abrogation of Article 370

Islamabad: A bellicose and Janus faced Pakistan will be marking the one-year anniversary of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on August 5, 2020, with rallies, protests, events, speeches and commemorations, declaring the day as "Youm-e-Istehsal" (Day of Exploitation), when Indian government abrogated Article 370 and 35A and changed the special status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories.

The Pakistan government will also be changing the name of its main Kashmir Highway in the capital Islamabad to Srinagar Highway in solidarity with the Kashmiri people.

Prime Minister Imran Khan will be heading to Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan administered Kashmir and will be addressing the legislative assembly.

Kashmir solidarity rallies will be taken out in major cities of Pakistan and across the Pakistan administered Kashmir.

Ahead of the big day and activities, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, along with Defence Minister Pervez Khattak and National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf visited the Line of Control (LoC) to express support and solidarity with the Kashmiri residents.

Qureshi was taken to the Chirikot sector of the LoC where he was briefed about the security situation and the ongoing conflict, which Pakistan calls India's ceasefire violations.

"Kashmiri people have rejected Indian government's August 5 actions last year," said Qureshi, adding that "for the first time in 50 years, the UN Security Council held meetings on the Kashmir issue".

"Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) role is appreciable. OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir has raised its voice against the Indian illegal actions and endorsed Pakistan's stance on the issue," he said.

Qureshi said India is isolated on the Kashmir issue as it has put hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris in a lockdown for an year.

"India is isolated, Iran has kicked out India from its port of Chabahar, Nepal has also claimed its territory and what happened with India in Ladakh, the world also saw it," he said.

During the briefing of military officials, it was said that the ceasefire violations on the de factor border have intensified since 2016, after the killing of Burhan Wani.

"So far, 115 civilians were martyred and 614 other wounded in Indian ceasefire violations," said Major General Amer Ahsan Nawaz, Commander of the area.

It was also briefed that Indian ceasefire violations have increased since 2016.

"Indian forces have carried out 578 CFVs in 2016, 2,329 in 2017, 3,348 in 2018, 3,526 in 2019 while 1,875 so far this year," the commander said.

This claim of Islamabad is countered by New Delhi, who accuses that there have been at least 2,027 times as of June 10.