Indian occupation: Kashmiris world over to observe ‘black day’ today

Demonstrations and rallies will also be held in different parts of Pakistan to highlight the issue

ISLAMABAD:

Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and the world over will observe a ‘black day’ today (October 27) to protest against India’s illegal occupation of the disputed Himalayan territory of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947.

Just two months after the partition of the Asian Subcontinent, Indian troops landed in Srinagar and occupied Jammu and Kashmir in total disregard to the partition plan of the subcontinent and against the aspirations of the Kashmiris.



On this day, Kashmiris across the globe express solidarity with the freedom fighters of Kashmir and demand their legitimate right of self-determination from India, which continues various forms of state terrorism to suppress their popular movement.

The day will be marked with a full shutdown in occupied Kashmir and rallies in world capitals.

In Indian-held Kashmir, calls for the shutdown has been given by the All Parties Hurriyet Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, as well as other Hurriyet leaders, including Syed Ali Geelani, Shabbir Ahmed Shah and Muhammad Yasin Malik. Other pro-freedom organisations and the High Court Bar Association of the occupied territory have also supported the call.

Different functions, demonstrations and anti-India rallies will also be taken out in the occupied territory and also in many world capitals.

Demonstrations and rallies will also be held in different parts of Pakistan to raise voice against India’s illegal occupation and to highlight Kashmiri peoples’ right of self-determination.

“The Pakistani nation will show solidarity with its Kashmiri brothers by observing a ‘black day’ in all provinces,” said Minister for Kashmir Affairs Chaudhry Barjees Tahir told a news conference on Sunday.

He said the government had announced to celebrate a ‘black day’ also as a protest against Indian aggression in Jammu and Kashmir and along the LoC and the Working Boundary.

The minister also sought media support to make the campaign a success and divert attention of the international community towards the issue.



The ‘black day’ aims to convey to the international community that the Kashmiris reject the Indian illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

“India claims itself as the largest democracy of the world but it did not take measures for plebiscite in Kashmir, nor did it take other measures to settle the issue of Kashmiris in the last 67 years, despite UN resolutions, which supported a plebiscite in Kashmir,” he said.

He said Kashmir is the oldest issue on UN Security Council which is yet to be resolved. “If plebiscite can arranged in East Timor and Southern Sudan then why not the UN resolutions also by implemented on Kashmir,” he asked.

He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif delivered his speech in UN on September 26, 2014 without worrying about Indians and international pressure and just after four days Indian opened firing across the LoC.

“India .. thinks that Pakistan will be frightened by its unprovoked firing across the LoC and give up its political and moral support for Kashmiris, but it should not forget that Pakistan is also an atomic power and the whole natio is united on the issue of Kashmir,” he said.

The minister said the issue of Jammu and Kashmir has gained prominence in the international community recently and said Pakistan will employ diplomatic efforts to resolve it as per the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the UN resolutions.

Concerns over India’s weapons deal

“India has recently purchased weapons and ammunition worth billions of dollars and it can possibly be used against innocent Kashmiris. International community, therefore, must take note of this,” said the minister.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2014.