Kashmiris observe Black Day as Pakistan renews call for dispute resolution

ISLAMABAD: Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and around the world are observing Black Day on Tuesday to mark 79 years since Indian troops entered Jammu and Kashmir on October 27, 1947, with rallies and demonstrations planned across the region.

President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi have reaffirmed solidarity with Kashmiris, calling for a just resolution of the long-running dispute.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Indian troops entered Jammu and Kashmir on October 27, 1947, in violation of the partition plan and against the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), in a statement in Srinagar, urged Kashmiris in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and elsewhere to observe Black Day. It also called for a complete shutdown in the territory.

The APHC appealed to the international community to help resolve the dispute in line with the aspirations of Kashmiris and relevant United Nations resolutions.

Rallies planned across AJK

In AJK, protest rallies and seminars are scheduled at district and tehsil headquarters to condemn the events of October 27, 1947, and India’s revocation of the region’s special status on August 5, 2019.

Deputy commissioners will lead rallies in their respective districts following directives from the AJK president and prime minister, according to the supplied statement.

In Muzaffarabad, the Kashmir Liberation Cell has arranged a protest demonstration followed by a rally, which AJK Prime Minister Iftikhar Gilani is due to lead.

Pasban-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir, Kashmiri refugees, other Hurriyat organisations, and political and religious parties have also arranged rallies and seminars.

A rally was also held on Constitution Avenue in Islamabad, with people from different walks of life carrying banners and posters in support of Kashmiris and denouncing alleged human rights violations and repression in the territory.

Pakistan renews call for resolution

In separate messages, President Zardari and PM Shehbaz said lasting peace and stability in South Asia could not be achieved without a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Both reaffirmed Pakistan’s political, diplomatic and moral support for Kashmiris.

Zardari urged the international community, particularly the United Nations and international human rights organisations, to take note of the human rights situation in IIOJK.

Shehbaz said Pakistan would continue to advocate for the rights of Kashmiris at national and international forums.

Naqvi said Kashmiris had not bowed to what he described as Indian oppression and continued to stand firm in their struggle for freedom. He paid tribute to those who had lost their lives and described the events of 1947 as a dark chapter in history.

The interior minister said the military siege had turned the valley into a prison and criticised the international community’s silence over what he called Indian atrocities. He also cited Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s description of Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein”.

Naqvi said a fair settlement of the dispute was necessary for sustainable peace in the region and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Kashmiris at international forums.