Kashmiris observe black day worldwide

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistanis and Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and worldwide observed the Kashmir Black Day on Sunday, marking 77 years since Indian troops illegally entered the Valley, holding protests and rallies to condemn Indian brutalities against the Kashmiri people.

Rallies and processions were brought out across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) despite restrictions. The participants demanded of India to withdraw from the Valley and grant Kashmiris their inalienable right to self-determination.

The call to observe the Black Day was given by the top Kashmiri leadership, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and the AJK government. The Kashmiri leaders and the Pakistan government called for international intervention, urging the United Nations to facilitate a peaceful resolution.

Posters were displayed in Srinagar, Baramulla, Pulwama, Islamabad, Kulgam, Kupwara and other regions of IIOJK urging residents to participate in a shutdown. Put up by the APHC and other pro-freedom groups, they characterised October 27, 1947 as the darkest chapter in the history of Kashmir.

On the occasion, anti-India and pro-freedom messages were widely shared on various social media platforms, including X, Facebook and WhatsApp, amplifying calls for solidarity and resistance against the Indian occupation of IIOJK.

In Muzaffarabad, the AJK capital, a large number of people from all segments of society, including women and children, gathered at the Burhan Wani Chowk, waving black flags and chanting anti-India and pro-freedom slogans. They burnt tyres, effigies of Indian leaders and blocked the main road.

Referring to the Indian atrocities, the speakers said that the people of IIOJK were struggling for freedom. They maintained that international laws gave the people of disputed states the liberty to decide their future and the United Nations had already passed resolutions for a plebiscite in Kashmir.

They said that India always tried to depict Kashmiri freedom fighters as terrorists even though millions of people living in Kashmir admired their sacrifices. They stated that their struggle was legitimate according to UNSC resolutions.

The speakers said that the military occupation by India posed serious threats to peace in the South Asian region, adding that despite the passage of 77 years, the Kashmiri people had never accepted India's military rule but had continued a tireless struggle for freedom from Indian oppression.

They lamented the role of the United Nations in that, although thousands of people had been killed by Indian occupation forces since 1947, the stance of all human rights organisations as well as the UNSC was little more than that of a silent spectator.

The rally demanded the withdrawal of the Indian army from Kashmir, the undoing of all actions taken by the Indian government on August 5, 2019, and the release of Hurriyat leaders, including Mussarat Alam Bhatt, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Yaseen Malik, Asia Andrabi, Ayaz Akbar, Saifullah and others.

The rally was led by AJK Speaker Latif Akbar and attended by Opposition Leader in AJK Assembly Farooq Ahmed, AJK Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Mushtaq Khan, Pasban-e-Hurriyat Chairman Uzair Ahmed Ghazali, AJK government Minister Muhammad Rasheed and others.

In Mirpur, AJK, a Black Day rally was taken out from district court premises under the auspices of various social, political and public representative organisations with the coordination of Mirpur district administration. Similar rallies were also brought out in all cities and towns of AJK.

Addressing a Kashmir solidarity rally in the federal capital, Mushaal Hussein Mullick, wife of Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik, emphasised the importance of observing the Black Day annually and called upon the youth to play a vital role in keeping the Kashmir cause alive.

"Every Pakistani stands in solidarity with the Kashmiris on this day," she said. She encouraged young Pakistanis to launch campaigns through social media, highlighting that Pakistan's founding leader, Quaid-e-Azam, had also placed his trust in the power of youth.

Gilgit-Baltistan also observed the Black Day in solidarity with the Kashmir cause in all districts. In this connection, a rally was organized by the Gilgit district administration to condemn the illegal occupation of IIOJK by Indian forces.

In Karachi, the APHC brought out a rally from the Arts Council, Karachi to the Karachi Press Club on the occasion. Leaders of various political parties participated in the rally to show solidarity with the Kashmiri people.

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly unanimously passed a joint resolution to express complete solidarity with the people of Kashmir and condemn human rights violations in IIOJK. The resolution highlighted the ongoing human rights violations by the occupying Indian forces in IIOJK.

The resolution was presented by Law Minister Aftab Alam Afridi and members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and other parties. The resolution asserted that no political process or election could serve as a substitute for the right to self-determination.

The assembly also denounced the deployment of over 900,000 Indian troops in Occupied Kashmir and the imposition of oppressive black laws. The resolution also paid rich tributes to Kashmiri martyrs and urged India to revoke its illegal actions taken on August 5, 2019.