Pakistan Consulate General Chicago observes Kashmir Black Day

ISLAMABAD, Oct 29 (APP): A large number of Pakistani and
Kashmiri community members from Chicago and local academicians
gathered at Pakistan Consulate to observe Kashmir Black Day.
Speaking on the occasion, Consul General Faisal Niaz
Tirmizi said the Black Day had assumed more significant this
year after the Indian Occupation forces had laid a siege and
imposed curfew since July, after the killing of Kashmiri youth
leader Burhan Wani.
India has unleashed horror in the valley and indulged
in the worst human rights violations which also resulted in
the loss of more than 110 lives and injuries to more than
12,000, he added.
He said more than 700 people also suffered severe eye
injuries while over 150 were blinded due to use of pellet
guns, he added.
The Consul General also condemned Indian incarceration
of leading Hurriyat Conference leaders including Yasin Malik
who had been denied appropriate medical help after severe
torture at the hands of the military, said a press release
on Saturday.
Other speakers included Rizwan Qadir, Javed Rathore
and Dr Murtaza Arain.
They emphasized the need to highlight grave Indian human
rights violations globally and expressed satisfaction on the
effective dissemination of the cause by the Government of Pakistan
especially during UN General Assembly session this year.
The Consul General informed that India was trying to
create war hysteria among the masses which could have dangerous
repercussions.
He underscored that Pakistan was committed to a peaceful
resolution of the Kashmir dispute, however Pakistan’s desire
for peace should not be misconstrued as its weakness in the
face of any Indian misadventure.
He assured the members of the Kashmiri community in Midwest
that the Government of Pakistan stood united with Kashmiri brothers
and sisters in every step of the way in their valiant struggle for
self-determination.
The Consul General expressed the belief that peaceful
resolution of the dispute was sine qua non for the regional
stability and that the world must take pragmatic steps towards this
goal instead of empty rhetoric.
Dr. Daoud Stephen Casewit, President, American Islamic
College, Chicago, Ms Linda Wilks, Amnesty International – Chicago,
Imam Mukhtar Faezi, Bait ul Ilm masjid, Faraz Ahmed, Harris School
of Public Policy, University of Chicago. Adnan Shafi, Kashmiri-
American lawyer (from Srinagar),Ms. Marina Sofi, Kashmiri-American
activist (from Srinagar) and Ms. Monica Mori, a University of
Chicago alumna, and a permanent fixture in Chicago’s literary and
academic circles also attended the ceremony.