Kashmiris observe Black Day to mark illegal Indian occupation

Pakistan, Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and the world over are observing Black Day, today, the 27th October, to convey to the world that India has occupied Jammu and Kashmir against their will and is denying them their inalienable right to self-determination.

On 27th October in 1947 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.

The day marked with a complete shutdown in occupied Kashmir and rallies in world capitals. Call for the shutdown has been given by the Joint Resistance Leadership comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik and supported by other pro-freedom organizations. The resistance leaders termed the 27th October 1947 as the darkest day in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two more Kashmiri youth during a cordon and search operation at Pazalpora in Sopore area of Baramulla district, today. These killings raised the number of the martyred youth to ten since Wednesday. Thousands of people attended the funeral prayers of the martyred youth in their native villages in Kulgam and Baramulla areas. The participants of the funerals raised high-pitched pro-freedom and anti-India slogans.

The occupation authorities imposed curfew and strict restrictions in Srinagar, Sopore, Islamabad, Kulgam and several other areas of the territory in view of the Joint Resistance Leadership’s call for peaceful protests after Juma prayers, today, against the surge in killings by the troops. Juma prayers could not be held at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar due to restrictions. The authorities continued to place many Hurriyat leaders including Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Bilal Siddiqi, Engineer Hilal Ahmed War, Mukhtar Ahmed Waza, Yasmeen Raja, Zafar Akbar Butt, Javaid Ahmed Mir and Muhammad Ashraf Laya under house arrest or in custody to prevent them from leading the demonstrations.

Despite restrictions, people staged forceful demonstrations in Srinagar, Badgam, Ganderbal, Kulgam, Islamabad, Pulwama, Shopian, Baramulla, Bandipora and other areas to register their protest against the killings. Indian police used brute force against the demonstrators in Srinagar, Redwani, Wanpora, Khudwani, Kulgam, Islamabad and other areas, injuring many of them. Hurriyat leaders and organizations in their statements paying glowing tributes to the martyred youth said that their sacrifices would not be allowed to go waste and their mission would be accomplished at all costs.

International human rights watchdog, the Amnesty International, today, expressed serious concern over a raid by the sleuths of India’s Enforcement Directorate on its headquarters in Bengaluru, yesterday, saying that the Indian government was treating human rights groups like criminal enterprises. The Amnesty International had on Wednesday urged Indian authorities to conduct effective, independent and impartial investigations into the killing of seven civilians in a blast in Kulgam area of occupied Kashmir on Sunday.