ISLAMABAD, Aug 4: Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control, in Pakistan and across the world will observe Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir tomorrow (Wednesday), August 5, to protest against the BJP-led Indian government’s illegal and unconstitutional actions taken on that day in 2019 in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
On August 5, 2019, the BJP government led by Narendra Modi, in violation of United Nations resolutions and international law, revoked Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution, which granted special status to the internationally recognized disputed territory of IIOJK.
The move was accompanied by an unprecedented military siege, sweeping restrictions, and intensified repression across the occupied territory.
Meanwhile, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has appealed to the Kashmiri people to observe Black Day on 5th August (tomorrow) to send a strong message to the international community that they reject India’s illegal occupation and the illegal measures imposed in the territory.
The APHC said the observance of Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir aimed to sensitize the international community about New Delhi’s brutal repression being carried out by its over one million occupation troops in the territory. It said that seven years of constant military siege and continued Indian state terrorism had wreaked havoc in the entire territory, which had been turned into a torture chamber under the Hindutva-driven BJP regime.
Other APHC leaders and parties in their statements issued in Srinagar reiterated that the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir do not accept the Narendra Modi-led Indian government’s August 5, 2019 actions and will continue their struggle until the Kashmir dispute is resolved in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and the relevant United Nations resolutions.
They urged the international community to take notice of India’s actions in the UN-recognized disputed territory and play its role in ensuring a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute. They maintained that lasting peace and stability in South Asia remain impossible without a just settlement of the Kashmir dispute in line with the UN resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
The APHC leaders also appealed to freedom-loving Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and around the world to observe Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir on August 5 with renewed resolve and unity.
Meanwhile, the APHC-AJK chapter has endorsed the Hurriyat Conference’s call to observe August 5 as Black Day against India’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019. In a statement issued in Islamabad, APHC-AJK Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi and other Hurriyat leaders said the observance would send a strong message to the international community that the Kashmiri people reject India’s imposed illegal measures imposed in blatant violation of the UN resolutions.
Ghulam Muhammad Safi said the abrogation of IIOJK’s special constitutional status was a direct assault on Kashmir’s distinct identity, culture, demographic composition and the fundamental rights of its people. He reaffirmed that the Kashmiri people would continue their just struggle until the realization of their UN-recognized right to self-determination.
The APHC-AJK leadership also appealed to overseas Kashmiris to hold protest demonstrations on August 5 to expose India’s continued repression and illegal actions in IIOJK and draw the international community’s attention to the plight of the Kashmiri people and their legitimate aspirations.
