78 years completed since India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir

Pakistan and Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and across the world are observing Black Day today (Monday) India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir and to convey to the world that they reject India’s illegal occupation of their motherland.

The day is marked every year to express support and solidarity with Kashmiri people in their just struggle for right to self-determination and remind the United Nations and the international community of its commitments regarding the resolution of this longstanding dispute.

It was on this day in 1947 that India landed its troops in Srinagar and forcibly occupied Jammu and Kashmir, an act carried out against the will of the Kashmiri people and in clear violation of the Partition Plan of the subcontinent. This invasion set off a decades-long conflict that continues to engulf the territory in turmoil and uncertainty.

The suffering of the people of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir began with the first footprints of Indian troops in 1947 and has only deepened over the decades. The Modi-led BJP regime’s illegal abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A on August 5, 2019, and the imposition of hundreds of draconian laws under the unelected New Delhi-controlled administration have further intensified the oppression. These measures stripped the occupied territory of its special status and accelerated India’s settler-colonial agenda.

Protest marches, rallies and seminars will be held in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan and all over the world to condemn the invasion of the territory by Indian Army on 27th October, 1947 as well as revocation of special status of occupied Kashmir by the Narendra Modi-led fascist Indian government on August 5, 2019.

Across Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the day is observed with rallies, seminars, walks, and photo exhibitions highlighting the sufferings of the Kashmiri people and reaffirming solidarity with their cause.

Participants wear black armbands, hoist black flags, and organize public gatherings to denounce what they call India’s occupation and its human rights violations in the IIOJK.

In solidarity with the Kashmiri people, the Government of Pakistan will observe one-minute silence across the country.

Government departments, civil society organizations, and political parties issue statements calling upon the international community to play its role in ensuring the implementation of UN resolutions guaranteeing the Kashmiri people’s right to decide their future.

Over the decades, numerous reports by international human rights organizations have drawn attention to issues such as enforced disappearances, curfews, communication blockades, and restrictions on movement in IIOJK.

Since the revocation of Article 370 by the Indian government in August 2019, observers note that the situation has further deteriorated, with increased restrictions on civil liberties and political activities.

Pakistan has consistently maintained that the Kashmir dispute must be resolved in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

On this day, Pakistan reiterates its moral, diplomatic, and political support to the Kashmiri people until they achieve their legitimate right to self-determination.

The national leadership in their messages reaffirm Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and urge the global community to take notice of the longstanding dispute that threatens regional peace and stability.

The observance of Kashmir Black Day is not only a protest against the events of October 27, 1947, but also a call for justice, peace, and dialogue.

Kashmir remains one of the most militarized regions in the world, and experts agree that sustainable peace in South Asia cannot be achieved without a just settlement of the dispute.

As the world marks another Kashmir Black Day, voices from across Pakistan and AJK renew the demand that the international community fulfill its commitments to the people of Kashmir and help pave the way for lasting peace in the region.