ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of people took to the streets across the Line of Control (LoC) dividing the mountainous region of Kashmir between Pakistan and India on Wednesday to condemn New Delhi for denying the right to self-determination to the occupied valley.
The demonstrations coincided with the Republic Day celebrations in India, which the people of Kashmir observe as “black day”, questioning India’s locus standi to declare itself a democratic nation when it refuses the same right to the disputed region.
It was on this day today more than seven decades ago the Indian government in connivance with Hari Singh, the last monarch of the Dogra dynasty, seized the valley, and the occupation has continued to date.
The Narendra Modi-led government of India in 2020 scrapped the special status of held Kashmir and imposed a curfew and media blackout in the valley. Republic Day celebrations there saw an additional deployment of troops.
Media reported that roads in the city were sealed by police and paramilitary forces, and only vehicles with special passes were allowed to move freely, leading to a boycott of the main official function by a group of scribes who alleged harassment in the name of security.
