Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and world over are observing Black Day today (Monday) to draw the world attention to the impending catastrophe caused by India’s continued illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.
It was on October 27, 1947, when Indian troops invaded Jammu and Kashmir and occupied it in total violation of the Partition Plan of the subcontinent and against the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
All Parties Hurriyat Conference has urged the Kashmiri people to observe Black Day today to sensitize the international community about the urgency of resolving the Kashmir dispute.
Jammu & Kashmir people living on either side of the LoC consider October 27 as the black day in the history of the internationally acknowledged disputed Himalayan state of Jammu & Kashmir when India landed its armed troops against the aspirations and wishes of the people of the Jammu Kashmir state.
The day is being observed as a black day by people in Jammu Kashmir and worldwide every year to mark extreme resentment and indignation over the continued unlawful and forcible occupation of the bulk of Jammu Kashmir state by the tyrannical Indian forces. India had landed its armed military troops in Srinagar on this day 78 years ago, absolutely against the wishes of the people of the state.
Protest rallies and processions besides public congregations are the hallmark of the scheduled black day in all small and major towns on either side of the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir state, i.e., Azad Jammu Kashmir and Indian-occupied Jammu Kashmir state, to express complete dissociation from India, besides to apprise the world of the continued Indian brutalities unleashed against the innocent Jammu Kashmir fighting against the forcible Indian rule, and to get the motherland freed from the unlawful Indian clutches.
PM Shehbaz Sharif
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said that lasting peace and stability in South Asia would remain elusive without the just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people.
In a message on Kashmir Black Day observed on October 27, he said, “Every year the 27th of October marks the darkest day in the history of Kashmir. It was on this day, seventy-eight years ago, that the Indian Occupation forces landed in Srinagar and annexed it – a tragic chapter in human history that continues to this day. Ever since that fateful day, India continues to deny the Kashmiri people their inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in numerous resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.”
“For nearly eight decades, the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) have endured enormous hardship and oppression. We salute their indomitable spirit, courage, and resilience, in the face of fear and persecution. Their unwavering resolve to attain the just and inalienable right to self-determination, remains undiminished,” he added.
The prime minister said, “Since August 5, 2019, India has further intensified its illegal and unilateral actions, aimed at altering the demography and political status of IIOJK. In addition to human rights abuses, massive curbs have been imposed on freedom of movement and expression.”
“By imposing such draconian laws, India has unleashed a systematic campaign of violence and brutality to silence the legitimate political voices and crush the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. The unlawful and unjustified incarceration of several prominent Kashmiri leaders and activists, as well as media personalities, is an ugly manifestation of this Indian extremist agenda. Their continued imprisonment, under fabricated charges, is in blatant violation of international human rights norms,” he noted.
The prime minister said, “Pakistan has consistently condemned these unlawful measures, that defy international law and violate numerous relevant UN resolutions. We have steadfastly maintained our position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which remains clear, consistent, and principled.”
“As Prime Minister of Pakistan, I have always highlighted the plight of my Kashmiri brothers and sisters before the international community and echoed their calls for freedom from Indian occupation.
“I wish to assure the Kashmiri people, that they are not alone in their struggle, rather, the 240 million people of Pakistan stand resolutely beside them,” he stressed.
The prime minister said, “We reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and will never relent in our commitment to the Kashmir cause, until justice is done and the promise of self-determination, pledged by the international community, is finally fulfilled. Inshallah, that day is not far.”
President Asif Ali Zardari
President Asif Ali Zardari called upon the international community, particularly the United Nations and global human rights organizations, to hold India accountable for its grave and systematic human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), to bring an immediate end to the ongoing Indian atrocities in the occupied territory and to actively work towards the resolution of this long-festering dispute.
“The United Nations, in particular, owes it to the Kashmir people,” the president said in a message on observance of Kashmir Black Day.
The president further said that given India’s recent hostilities towards Pakistan, the occasion of Kashmir Black Day highlighted that lasting peace and stability in South Asia was contingent upon a just and lasting resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.
“On its part, Pakistan will continue its unwavering moral, diplomatic, and political support to the people of IIOJK who continue to endure oppression on daily basis. We stand united with our Kashmiri brethren in their struggle for justice, peace and self-determination,” President Secretariat Press Wing, in a press release, quoted the president as saying.
On this day in 1947, he said, Indian forces entered Srinagar in blatant violation of international law, moral principles, and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. Consequently, one of the darkest chapters in modern history began.
Since then, generations of innocent men, women, and children in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) had endured unimaginable suffering under occupation, marked by violence, repression, and denial of their fundamental rights, he added.
“Every year, we observe this day as Kashmir Black Day to honour the valiant struggle and sacrifices of our Kashmiri brothers and sisters who continue to resist tyranny in their pursuit of the inalienable right to self-determination. Despite decades of Indian brutality, the spirit of resistance among the Kashmiri people remains unbroken,” the president reiterated.
After 5 August 2019, President Zardari further said this brutal campaign had only intensified, adding India had unilaterally revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, imposing a military siege, destructing properties of Kashmiris to inflict ‘collective punishment’ and enforcing draconian laws that strip the Kashmiri people of their fundamental freedoms.
He said the occupied territory remained under severe restrictions on movement, communication, and assembly, while fake encounters, custodial torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, continued to terrorize civilians. Systematic attempts were being made by Indian authorities to turn the Kashmiris into a minority in their own homeland, he observed.
