APHC leadership urges Kashmiris to observe Black Day tomorrow
‘India’s illegal occupation poses serious threat to Kashmiris’ identity’
Srinagar: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leadership has called on Kashmiris to observe October 27, tomorrow, as Black Day, sending a clear message to the BJP-led Hindutva government of India and the international community that they reject the Indian military presence in their homeland and will continue their struggle for freedom.
According to Kashmir Media Service, jailed APHC leadership, including Chairman Masarrat Alam Butt, Shabbir Ahmed Shah and other leaders, in their separate messages also urged people in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir to observe a complete shutdown in the territory to convey to India that they will not rest until they achieve their UN-recognized right to self-determination.
The leaders characterized India’s invasion of Jammu and Kashmir on October 27, 1947, as a blatant act of aggression devoid of legal or moral justification, an attack on the political and democratic rights of Kashmiris. They emphasized that this invasion violated international law and usurped the fundamental rights of the people of Kashmir.
The jailed APHC leaders warned that the ongoing political injustice faced by Kashmiris, along with India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir and its Hindutva agendas, poses a serious threat to the identity of IIOJK residents and to peace and stability in the region.
Despite enduring oppression, the APHC leadership maintained, the resilient people of Kashmir have never accepted Indian dominance. “Kashmiris have resisted Indian hegemony in the past and will continue to do so in the future,” the leaders affirmed, expressing hope that their struggle and sacrifices will ultimately lead to success. They also urged the international community to take effective action to end India’s occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.
On the other hand, APHC-AJK chapter leaders, including Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi, Mehmood Ahmed Saghar, Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, Altaf Hussain Wani and others, highlighted that India has been committing genocide against the Kashmiri people since its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir on October 27, 1947. They affirmed that Kashmiris will observe Black Day tomorrow worldwide to clearly reject forced occupation and reaffirm their commitment to a peaceful struggle for freedom. They noted, “India’s naked aggression on this fateful day in 1947 is the root cause of the Kashmir conflict, threatening peace and stability in South Asia even after 77 years.” This act of aggression, they argued, not only hindered the implementation of the partition plan but also plunged the region into chaos.
The APHC-AJK leaders also pointed to India’s settler colonialism policies, likening them to those of Israel, which have instilled fear among Kashmiris, making them feel increasingly unsafe in their own homeland. They expressed concern that the situation has worsened since the Indian government, under the BJP, stripped IIOJK of its special status in August 2019. Despite various intimidation tactics, the leaders asserted that India has failed to suppress the Kashmiri resolve for self-determination.
Additionally, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front spokesman Rafiq Ahmed Dar also urged Kashmiris to observe October 27 as Black Day. “Kashmiris are facing Indian oppression like an iron wall but they will never compromise on their right to resist,” he declared.
It was on 27th October in 1947 when Indian troops in total violation of the spirit of the Partition Plan of the Subcontinent had militarily invaded Jammu and Kashmir and illegally occupied it against the will of the Kashmiri people.
