Life remained paralysed in the Kashmir Valley and Muslim majority areas of Jammu region on the 84th day, as Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and the world over observed Black Day.
It was on this day in 1947 when Indian troops invaded Jammu and Kashmir and occupied it in a blatant violation of the Partition Plan of the subcontinent and against the Kashmiris’ aspirations.
Several programmes including rallies and seminars were planned throughout the country to express solidarity with the people of Occupied Kashmir.
In Azad Kashmir, rallies, demonstrations and protest gatherings were held in all small and big cities of the state under the auspices of Kashmir Liberation Cell, Hurriyat and religious organisations.
On the directives of AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider, events to observe Black Day were arranged by district and tehsil administrations.
Over in Muzaffarabad, Raja Farooq Haider said that India had imposed an undeclared war on the people of Kashmir.
The AJK premier was addressing an event in relation to the ‘Back Day’. He said that the demand of the Kashmiris was the right to self-determination, but it had not been given to them.
“India wants to create a divide between Azad Kashmir and Occupied Kashmir,” he said. “However, according to the UN charter, the people of Kashmir have been given the right to vote for whomever they want to.”
He said that the people of Kashmir did not have any problem with religion. He said that their war was against illegal Indian occupation.
Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur also spoke on the occasion and said that the world was silent when it came to Indian atrocities in Occupied Kashmir.
“Unfortunately, even Muslim countries around the world have not condemned Indian atrocities in Occupied Kashmir,” he said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, at a function to inaugurate the Khanewal-Shamkot Motorway M-4 section, said that India had suffered massive humiliation and was facing tremendous pressure from world over with regards to its treatment of innocent Kashmiris who they have landlocked for the past 84 days without food, medicines and means of communication.
“India’s unilateral, illegal move to annex the disputed land of Kashmir has proven to be a bad move for the state, they face great odds in the valley where people continue to voice their opinion and disdain for India’s tyrannical, hegemonic designs,” Qureshi said. “Pakistan is observing Black Day to show solidarity with our Kashmiri brethren who have kept their just struggle alive despite grave difficulties.”
Separately, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said the whole Pakistani nation was observing Black Day against Indian oppressive occupation in the Occupied Kashmir.
In a series of tweets, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said Pakistan and its people vow to give unwavering support to all Kashmiri brothers and sisters. She said Kashmiris were fighting Indian oppression and barbarism with unmatched courage.
The special assistant said, “We salute the courage and commitment of Kashmiri people. The right to self-determination is their constitutional right.” She said that now India should understand and accept this reality that gun and oppression could not defeat the people of Occupied Kashmir.
The Black Day is observed on October 27 every year to convey to the world that Kashmiris reject India’s illegal occupation of their homeland and will continue their struggle to achieve their inalienable right to self-determination. On this day, Indian troops had invaded Jammu and Kashmir and occupied it in total violation of the Partition Plan of the subcontinent and against the Kashmiris’ aspirations.
In Occupied Kashmir, amid call for a march towards Lal Chowk in Srinagar, and a sit-in protest by All Parties Hurriyat Conference, normal life continued to be hit badly due to restrictions and gag on internet and most of cellular services.
Internet services – across all platforms – continue to be snapped across the valley since the night of August 4 – hours before India announced its decision to abrogate Article 370 of the constitution, which gave a special status to Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi bifurcated the occupied region into separate union territories.