Kashmiris observing Indian Republic Day as black day today

ISLAMABAD: Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and across the world are observing the Indian Republic Day today as a black day.

It is aimed at conveying to the international community that India’s claim of being a democratic republic is totally misleading after it denied the people of occupied Kashmir their inalienable right to self determination.

The call for the observance of the black day was been given by veteran Hurriyet leader Syed Ali Gilani, All Parties Hurriyet Conference (APHC), Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Muhammad Yasin Malik, senior Hurriyet leader Shabbir Ahmed Shah, High Court Bar Association and other pro liberation leaders and organisations.

The day is being marked with a complete strike in Indian Held Kashmir (IHK) besides anti India demonstrations and rallies will be held in world capitals. The authorities in the occupied territory have deployed a large number of Indian troops and police personnel in Srinagar and other towns ahead of Indian Republic Day.

Random crackdowns are being carried out and commuters are subjected to vigorous screening. All roads leading to the Bakhshi Stadium the main venue of official function in Srinagar have been barricaded.

Prominent Kashmir leadership including Syed Ali Gilani, Muhammad Yasin Malik Farooq, Ahmed Dar Farida Bahenji, and the APHC spokesman in their statements said that India had no justification to celebrate its Republic Day in occupied Kashmir as it had illegally occupied the territory.

Shabbir Ahmed Shah and Javaid Ahmed Mir urged the United States President Barack Obama to press upon the Indian leaders during his forthcoming visit to New Delhi to take steps towards settling the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the Kashmiris aspirations.

The Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement in a statement in Srinagar strongly denounced the continued house arrest of the party Chairman Zafar Akbar Butt and harassment of Kashmiri people by the Indian forces personnel in the name of so called security.