India’s illegal occupation a black chapter in Kashmir’s history; Barrister Sultan

MUZAFFARABAD, Oct 26 (APP): Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry has said that October 27 marked the darkest chapter in Kashmir’s contemporary history.
In his special message issued on the eve of Kashmir Black Day being observed on both sides of line of control, president Chudhary referred to India’s colonial history and said that it was on this day in 1947 when India in violation of international law of the partition plan, rushed its troops to Kashmir and illegally occupied the territory, depriving Kashmiris of their fundamental rights. “Since then India has maintained its illegal control over the territory through state terrorism and systematic human rights violations”, he said. He urged the overseas Kashmiris across the world to raise their voices internationally, organize demonstrations on Black Day, and expose India’s atrocities in occupied Kashmir.
Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry reiterated that lasting peace in South Asia hinged on peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people. He called upon the United Nations to implement its resolutions and ensure that the people of Kashmir exercise their birthright to self-determination. He said that Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and across the world were observing Black Day as a mark of protest against India’s illegal and forcible occupation of their motherland. “In 1947, India itself took the Kashmir issue to the UN and pledged to hold a plebiscite, but instead of honouring it’s commitments it continues to suppress the freedom movement through brutal measures”, he said adding that the state repression has intensified after the BJP government unlawfully stripped the region of its special status in August 2019.
He pointed out that thousands of Kashmiris, mainly youth, continue to languish in prisons, women face harassment and humiliation, and even children and the elderly are not spared India’s cruelty. “Despite of these atrocities, Kashmiris remain steadfast in their resolve to continue their struggle until India’s occupation ends”, he remarked. The President urged the international community and human rights organizations to play their effective role to help the Kashmiri people in securing their inalienable right to self-determination.