Daily Times

As India observed Republic Day on Wednesday, Pakistan reaffirmed its “unshakable resolve” to continue to raise its voice and extend all possible support for the right of self-determination of the people of Kashmir, who marked it as a black day. “Today, when the Kashmiris in IIOJK (Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir)and around the world mark 26th January as a black day against India’s oppression, the government and people of Pakistan reaffirm their unshakable resolve to continue to raise their voice and extend all possible support for the right of self-determination of the people of IIOJK,” the Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a statement. He said it was deplorable that in the past few days, the Indian occupation forces had further intensified the military siege already in place in the occupied territory for more than seven decades. The spokesperson said coercing innocent Kashmiris to hoist Indian flags on the Republic Day was typical of India’s high-handedness to project a false sense of ‘normalcy’ and a hopeless attempt at masking its systematic and widespread oppression. He said the Indian government’s decision to award so-called gallantry awards to the personnel of its occupation forces was yet another affront to the dignity of the countless victims of India’s state terrorism. He said the Indian occupation forces had been making the people of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir subject to gross human rights violations, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, suspension of fundamental freedoms, rapes, and the use of draconian laws such as Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Public Safety Act with complete impunity.