Kashmiris observe India's Independence Day as Black Day
The day is being marked by a complete strike in occupied Kashmir.
SRINAGAR (Dunya News) - Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and across the world are observing India’s Independence Day as Black Day to convey the message to the international community that India has usurped their inalienable right to self-determination by the dint of force.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the day is being marked by a complete strike in occupied Kashmir, call for which has been jointly given by the resistance leadership comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik. Protest rallies and different functions would be held in the territory and in the world capitals to highlight different dimensions of the Kashmir dispute and Indian atrocities on innocent Kashmiris.
The resistance leadership has appealed to the teachers, students and their parents to boycott all functions related to the India’s Independence Day. The leaders warned the authorities not to force teachers, students and their parents to participate in these functions.
“We are not against the freedom of any country and will provide them a chance to decide the future by allowing independent plebiscite in Kashmir, till then it doesn’t have any moral and constitutional right to organize the freedom celebrations in the territory,” the joint leadership said.
“India itself attained freedom from British rule on August 15, 1947 and became an independent country but only after 72 days of this freedom, this country snatched the freedom rights of the Kashmiri people and forcibly occupied this region by landing its troops on 27 October and since then this occupation continues,” it said.
It said, Kashmir is an internationally acknowledged dispute and Delhi can neither succeed in changing the status and nature of the territory by its rigid and stubborn policy nor can be this region kept permanently under the forced control, they said and added that any tinkering or fiddling in article 35A won’t (state Subject law) be tolerated. The leadership said New Delhi is desperate to tamper with the Muslim majority character of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Our demand for Right to Self Determination is purely a democratic demand and India has also promised to fulfill that demand on national as well as international levels but this country backtracked from its promises and is now busy in suppressing the genuine and just voices of the Kashmiri nation,” it added.
Indian media reported today (Tuesday) that internet and mobile phone services have been suspended in held Kashmir as a precautionary measure. Only BSNL landline service will be functional in the Valley.
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