Kashmir Black Day observed in Washington

All political parties in Pakistan stand together on issues like Kashmir, Palestine and CPEC, says Senator Mushahid Hussain

Washington: Speakers at the 'Kashmir Black Day' event organized by the Pakistan Embassy in Washington reaffirmed their solidarity with the Kashmiri people and called on India to end its gross human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

They also condemned India's unilateral and illegal actions of August 5, 2019, to annex the disputed territory of IIOJK through its security lockdown and communications blackout in the disputed territory.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, Chairman of the Senate Defence Committee was the keynote speaker at the well-attended event.

Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Asad Majeed Khan, professor at Georgetown University ambassador (retd) Touqir Hussain, secretary general of the World Kashmir Awareness Forum (WKAF) Ghulam Nabi Fai were among those who addressed the gathering.

A special documentary featuring the context of Kashmir Black Day, illegal Indian actions of August 05, 2019 and human rights abuses by Indian occupation forces was also screened.

In his opening remarks Ambassador Asad Khan thanked the audience for participating in the event to express solidarity with Kashmiri brothers and sisters suffering under Indian occupation. He reiterated Pakistan's continued moral, political and diplomatic support for the Kashmiri people in their struggle for the right to self-determination against the worst form of repression unleashed by the Indian security forces for several decades.

The ambassador specially lauded the role played by the Pakistani and Kashmiri American community in highlighting India's human rights violations in occupied Kashmir.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed expressed Pakistan's unflinching support for the just struggle of the Kashmiri people for their inalienable right to self-determination as envisaged in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. He emphasized that Pakistan would avail every possible political, diplomatic and legal option to achieve this objective.

Senator Mushahid Hussain also drew the world's attention to the grave threat to peace and security posed by Indian actions and called for the international community, particularly the US, to ask India to end its human rights violations in Kashmir and take measures to reduce tensions in the region.

The senator also said that despite political differences, all political parties in Pakistan stand together on issues like Kashmir, Palestine, Pakistan’s nuclear program and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Prominent Kashmiri leader Ghulam Nabi Fai posed the question, “how long will the world powers watch in silence as India carries out the genocide in Kashmir?” This is a question the Kashmiris are asking too, he said, adding that world powers should persuade India to stop the killings.

Ambassador Touqir Hussain said Pakistan needs to enhance its influence with the international community, especially big powers such as the United States, through an improved Islamabad-Washington relationship. Ironically, he said, by slamming the door shut on the international community, India may have overreached itself diplomatically.