Kashmiris all over the world protest Indian occupation

ISLAMABAD: The people of Jammu and Kashmir living on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC), including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the world, on Tuesday (October 27) observed a black day to mark the Indian invasion of Jammu and Kashmir on this day in 1947, 68 years ago.
The people living on either side of the LoC consider October 27 as the blackest day in the history of Jammu and Kashmir marking the day when India landed its armed troops to crush the aspirations of the Kashmiris.
Protest rallies and processions, besides public congregations, were held in all small and major towns on both sides of the LoC protesting against India. The day was marked with a complete shutdown in Indian held Kashmir.
The Black Day is aimed at drawing the world’s attention towards the miseries of the Kashmiri people and to appeal to the international community to take cognisance of the urgency to resolve the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the Kashmiris’ aspirations.
Leading social and political workers and the representatives of various organisations representing all classes of the civil society addressed the rallies and gatherings.
Speakers highlighted the importance of early peaceful settlement of the Kashmir problem besides registering protest against the continued forcible and illegal Indian occupation of Kashmir.
A march was also arranged which culminated at Line of Control (LoC).Meanwhile, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC, Pakistan chapter) marked the October 27, 68th anniversary of invasion of Jammu and Kashmir by the Indian occupation offices with a sit-in here and handed over a memorandum to the UN offices representatives for the world body’s Secretary General Ban-Ki moon.
The memorandum recalled the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and also UN Commission for India and Pakistan resolutions of August 13, 1948 and January 05, 1949, upholding the right to self-determination of people of Jammu and Kashmir.
It demanded that the government of India must honour its pledges to Kashmir people in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, affirming that any agreement on Jammu and Kashmir should only be on the basis of the aspirations of Kashmiri people.
The memorandum emphasised that the final disposition of the state of Jammu and Kashmir would be made in accordance with the will of the people of Kashmir through democratic right to self-determination under the auspices of the United Nations.
The memorandum condemned the serious crimes against humanity, massacres, extrajudicial killings, custodial killings, reprisal killings, arbitrary detentions, torture, burning of houses, villages and townships and use of rape as a weapon of war by the Indian government through its military, para-military personnel and renegades, which had claimed over 80,000 innocent lives in the occupied territory during the last ten years.
The memorandum condemned the unprovoked shelling across the ceasefire line in Azad Kashmir by Indian armed forces, targeting innocent civilians.
Those who led the sit-in before the United Nations Military Observer Group in Pakistan offices here, included APHC Convenor Mir Tahir Masood, Yousaf Nasim, Deputy Speaker of Azad Kashmir Assembly Shaheen Dar, Manzoorul Haq, Hassanul Bana, Ijaz Ahmad Shah, Shafi Dar, Faiz Naqashbandi and Pir Ali Raza Bokhari.
Meanwhile, Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Senator Sirajul Haq has urged the rulers and the people of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir to jointly observe the year 2016 as the year of the liberation of Kashmir and added that world peace was not possible without the liberation of Kashmir.
Addressing at a seminar on the occasion of the Kashmir Black Day arranged by the JI Hattian on Tuesday, he said that India could not keep the Kashmiris its slaves on the force of eight lakh troops. He urged the Pakistan government and the Kashmir Committee Chairman Maulana Fazlur Rehman to convene an APC and decide that they would remain united till Kashmir was free.
Chief of the PML-N Azad Kashmir Raja Farooq Hider, PPP’s Latif Akbar and JI Azad Kashmir chief Abdul Rashid Turabi also spoke on the occasion.
Sirajul Haq said that October 27 was not merely a Black Day it was also a day of tyranny and oppression because on this day, Indian troops had entered Kashmir valley to deny the Kashmiris their basic rights. He said that the Kashmiris had fought the war despite their lack of resources. However, he said that today, the Kashmiris were fully determined and also strong. As such, no power could obstruct their goal of freedom, he added.
The JI chief said that the minorities in India had been affected because of Modi’s extreme policies, and a member of the Indian Parliament had openly stated that if Modi’s policies remained unchanged, another Pakistan was bound to emerge in India.
He said that unity was the strength of the nation. “We want peace but India is bent upon destroying peace”, he added. Addressing the conference, JI Azad Kashmir chief Abdur Rashid Turabi, said that the Kashmiris were fighting for the completion of the agenda of the division of the sub-continent.
Chairman Kashmir Committee Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said Kashmir dispute has become an international issue.In his message on Black Day Tuesday (October 27) against India’s illegal occupation of the territory, he said that international forums had recognised this issue as an international problem, Radio Pakistan reported.