Archive · 5 Aug 2026
India rejects Pakistan's 'malicious propaganda' on Kashmir during Youm-i-Istehsal
India and Pakistan are neighbouring countries that often disagree about a place called Kashmir.
Kashmir is a region in the mountains, and India and Pakistan disagree about who it belongs to.
In 2019, India changed special rules that Kashmir had under Indian law.
Pakistan was unhappy about this change and holds a day every year called Youm-i-Istehsal to remember it.
On that day, Pakistan asked other countries and the United Nations to help solve the Kashmir problem.
India said Pakistan was telling untrue stories just to cause trouble.
India said Kashmir is its own land and no other country should talk about it.
India also said the 2019 change brought new development and better government to the people there.
India added that Pakistani forces hurt people in the part of Kashmir that Pakistan controls, saying at least 90 people were killed in recent months.
Both countries want the rest of the world to agree with their side.
India categorically rejected Pakistan's Youm-i-Istehsal (Exploitation Day) observance as a politically motivated attempt to spread 'malicious propaganda' against it.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reaffirmed that the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are, have always been, and shall forever remain an integral and inalienable part of India.
India called the August 5, 2019 constitutional changes an entirely internal matter that brought socio-economic development and good governance, saying Pakistan has no locus standi to comment.
Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urged the international community and the UN to play a more active role in resolving the Kashmir dispute.
India accused Pakistan of deadly crackdowns in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, with at least 90 people killed since June, while Pakistan called India's 2019 decision a 'grave challenge' to the international framework.
- Who
- India's Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal and Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar
- What
- India rejected Pakistan's Youm-i-Istehsal observance as malicious propaganda while Pakistan urged international intervention on Kashmir
- When
- On Wednesday, as Pakistan observed Youm-i-Istehsal marking the August 5, 2019 anniversary of India revoking Jammu and Kashmir's special status
- Where
- Diplomatic exchange between India and Pakistan, with Pakistan raising the issue at international forums including the United Nations
- Why
- The two countries dispute the status of Jammu and Kashmir; India calls it an internal matter while Pakistan says its resolution is key to lasting peace in South Asia
India's Position
Pakistan's Position
Status of Kashmir
India's Position
Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are, have always been, and shall forever remain an integral part of India; the 2019 constitutional changes were entirely an internal matter and Pakistan has no locus standi.
Pakistan's Position
Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory whose status must be resolved in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and relevant UNSC resolutions; India's 2019 actions were a grave challenge to the established international framework.
International involvement
India's Position
The observance is an orchestrated spectacle and the world is not fooled; Pakistan's falsehoods are intended to deflect attention from its own record, and the issue is internal to India.
Pakistan's Position
The international community and the UN should fulfil their long-overdue responsibilities and make meaningful efforts for a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which India's actions have complicated.
Human rights and terrorism accusations
India's Position
Pakistan brutally suppresses fundamental rights in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir with lethal force and targeted killings, killing at least 90 protesters since June, is the global epicenter of terrorism, and must take credible, verifiable, and irreversible action against terror networks.
Pakistan's Position
India's 2019 steps adversely impacted the lives, rights, and freedoms of the Kashmiri people, and Pakistan stands in steadfast solidarity with their just struggle for the right to self-determination.
- Countries involved
- India and Pakistan
- Event observed
- Youm-i-Istehsal (Exploitation Day), marking the August 5, 2019 revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status
- India's spokesperson
- MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal
- Pakistan's spokesperson
- Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar
- India's core position
- Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India; the issue is strictly internal
- Pakistan's core position
- The Jammu and Kashmir dispute must be resolved per UNSC resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people
- Reported deaths
- At least 90 people killed in a crackdown on protesters in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir since June, according to India's MEA
- Pakistan's demand
- The international community and the UN should play an active role in peacefully resolving the dispute
