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PESHAWAR, Oct 26 (APP): Every year, the people of Kashmir on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and across the world observe October 27 as Black Day, marking the day in 1947 when India, without any legal justification, forcibly invaded the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir in clear violation of the Indo-Pak partition plan, depriving its people of their rights, liberties, and independence.
Breaking all records of human rights abuses, extrajudicial killings, and state terrorism in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the Indian aptharid regime stripped the oppressed Kashmiris of their civil, economic, constitutional, and political rights, as well as their autonomous status, on August 5, 2019, turning life into a nightmare for millions of innocent residents.
Dr. Ejaz Khan, former Chairman of the International Relations Department at the University of Peshawar, told APP that India’s illegal invasion of Srinagar on October 27, 1947, marked the beginning of unending repression and state terrorism in the valley intensified further after the fascist Modi government’s unlawful revocation of Articles 370 and 35-A that abolished the special status of IIOJK.
“Following the abrogation of these articles, millions of Kashmiris were held hostage at gunpoint in IIOJK, where life became nightmare, especially for women and children,” he said.
He added that India’s illegal actions contravened several UN Security Council resolutions and that it was the duty of the international community to ensure Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.
Mushtaq Ahmed Shah, Vice Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples League, said that October 27 would be observed as “the blackest day” by the people of Kashmir.
“People across Azad Kashmir will hold massive protest rallies and demonstrations to condemn India’s long-standing illegal occupation of IIOJK,” he stated.
He claimed that after August 5, 2019, Indian occupation forces intensified human rights violations by killing innocent Kashmiris in fake encounters, imprisoning political leaders, imposing media blackouts, and using sexual violence as a weapon of war.
He recalled that even the funeral of veteran Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Gillani was not allowed, as his body was taken from the bereaved family and buried under heavy military presence.
Likewise, Hurriyat leader Muhammad Yasin Malik was sentenced in a fabricated case aimed at silencing the freedom movement.
Despite these illegal actions, he said India had failed to crush the indigenous freedom struggle. He claimed that over six million illegal domicile certificates had been issued to non-residents in an attempt to alter the region’s demographic composition.
Citing Pakistan’s 2021 dossier on Kashmir, he highlighted reports of 8,652 unmarked graves across 89 villages in six districts, along with accounts of mass burnings and disappearances.
According to Kashmiri leader, since 1989, IIOJK has witnessed over 96,000 extrajudicial killings, 162,000 arbitrary arrests, 25,000 pellet gun injuries, 11,250 rapes, and 23,000 widowed women, leaving over 108,000 children orphaned.
He further accused Indian forces of using snipers and cluster munitions along the Line of Control (LoC) and employing civilians, including women and children, as human shields.
Former Ambassador Manzoor-ul-Haq described October 27, 1947 and August 5, 2019, as the blackest days in Kashmir’s history, saying India’s unlawful actions represented a deep-rooted conspiracy to rob Kashmiris of their history, language, and cultural identity.
“India cannot unilaterally change IIOJK’s autonomous status in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions,” he asserted. “The fascist Modi government’s illegal actions have not been endorsed by any international body, and New Delhi is now facing global scrutiny for destabilizing South Asia’s peace.”
He said that India security were fully exposed after its failed Sandoor operation in May last, adding Pakistan has shotdown seven Indian warplanes in operation Iron wall.
He warned that India’s rapid military buildup and acquisition of advanced weaponry had created a grim security landscape in the region, jeopardizing strategic stability in South Asia.
Hussain Khateeb of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (Gillani Group) condemned the targeted violence against Muslims in Tripura by extremist groups affiliated with the RSS, VHP, and Bajrang Dal, stating that it further exposed the Modi government’s anti-minority agenda.
Ambassador Haq added that India’s continued occupation of Kashmir violates multiple provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948—a declaration to which India is a signatory.
“The Indian government’s actions of October 27, 1947, and August 5, 2019, are in blatant violation of international human rights law, the Fourth Geneva Convention, and several UN Security Council resolutions,” he reiterated.
The experts collectively urged the United Nations and world powers to press India to revert to the pre August 5, 2019 status of IIOJK and grant Kashmiris their UN-mandated right to self-determination deemed essential for lasting peace and stability in South Asia.
They lauded Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif for forcefully raising the issue of human rights violations in IIOJK during his recent address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
They emphasized that the road to peace in South Asia runs through Kashmir, warning that failure to resolve this long-standing dispute could have disastrous consequences for regional and global stability.