October 27 is the darkest day in the history of Kashmir. Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control, in Pakistan and around the world as well as all the human rights organizations here, there and everywhere observe October 27 every year as the blackest day to express their solidarity with the oppressed and suppressed Kashmiris in their Indian-occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
It was on this day, back in 1947, India had airlifted its forces and occupied the valley of Jammu and Kashmir after Hindu Maharaja Hari Singh through an illegal instrument had announced accession to India. One can sell land but not the people living on that land.
But the Hindu Maharaja had sold the people of valley of Jammu and Kashmir and the international community had remained a silent witness to this wholesale selling of the Kashmiris then and continues to look the other way even now.
By observing yet another black day today, Kashmiris hope to highlight their just and indigenous struggle for freedom from Indian subjugation, wake up the sleeping conscience of the international community and human rights organizations throughout the world and sensitize the lingering unresolved Kashmir dispute on the UN agenda for implementation of its Security Council resolutions at the earliest possible
Kashmiris continue to observe the darkest day in their history in very changed circumstances. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on 5 August 2019 changed the special status of the valley through a unilateral illegal act, sent an additional 180,000 Indian troops raising the occupying strength to more than 900,000 and this changed status continues to be unchanged even after five years.
Despite this, the Kashmiris continue to be as determined and committed and offering sacrifices by way of violations and protesting against India’s illegal occupation of their land. The lingering unresolved Kashmir issue was highlighted, brought out of the cold storage some years back after 55 years when the issue was highlighted by the Pakistani Prime Minister while addressing UN General Assembly session in 2019.Since then, the Kashmir issue has been internationalized and is being discussed at international forums and elsewhere though still remaining an unresolved and burning issue. But despite condemnation the Indian government remains unmoved and the Valley continues to be a big jail where great human tragedy is fast brewing.
The Pakistan nation and Army have been reiterating every now and then their unstinting support to the Kashmiris in their just struggle by frequently observing Solidarity with Kashmiris.
The Pakistan government has all along been supporting the Kashmiris’ just struggle for securing their birthright of self-determination and extending all possible political, diplomatic and moral support and apprising the international community of the gross human rights violations being committed in occupied Kashmir by the Indian security forces brutally and ruthlessly.
The Kashmiris observe every year October 27 as the blackest day to reiterate their commitment to keep on fighting against the occupying Indian security forces despite their increased strength rejecting India’s occupation and also the August 5 act of ending Kashmir’s special status and merging it with the Indian Union and more importantly making efforts to awaken the United Nations Organization and its member countries and human rights bodies all over the world demanding implementation of the UN Security Council Resolutions, and exerting their effective pressure on India to grant the Kashmiris their fundamental birth right of self-determination which it had itself committed and which was also pledged by its first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru.
The Kashmiris’ indigenous unarmed struggle for freedom from Indian occupation, rejecting and terming it illegal and against their aspirations , as well as their great sacrifices of men,women and children, are surely and certainly more than enough to tell the international community that India can continue killing the Kashmiris through its brutal and oppressive measures but it cannot suppress their sentiments for freedom for which their struggle will continue unabated against all heavy odds till their cherished objective of freedom is achieved, no matter how many more sacrifices they have to make.
It is a bitter and quite regrettable reality that the Kashmir dispute has remained unresolved on the UN agenda for such a long time. At the same time the continued silence, and not putting pressure on India except periodical condemnation of ongoing brutalities and human rights violations in the Occupied Valley, is also very much deplorable.
It is also a matter of great shame and regret that the international community, topped by the so-called world human rights champion, the USA, all are criminally silent over India’s continued occupation and killings of more and more Kashmiris whose only crime is that they do not accept India’s illegal occupation which is against their aspirations and want freedom by exercising the right of self-determination.
Kashmir is an unfinished agenda of the Subcontinent’s partition. In all fairness, the Kashmiris are struggling and sacrificing to secure their birth right of self-determination and complete this agenda. Pakistan and Kashmir have strong eternal bonds of geography, culture and religion.
Over the years the Indian government has been forcibly migrating Hindus into occupied Kashmir to turn the predominantly majority-Muslim population into a minority. But even after resorting to such tactics India is not letting the Kashmiris exercise their right of self-determination which is internationally recognized.
There is no denying the fact that resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with Kashmiris aspirations is the key to stable peace, prosperity and progress in South Asia. Continued denial of the right of self-determination and even not holding bilateral talks for resolving the lingering burning issue peacefully continues to persistently expose the so-called democratic face of India.
By observing yet another black day today, Kashmiris hope to highlight their just and indigenous struggle for freedom from Indian subjugation, wake up the sleeping conscience of the international community and human rights organizations throughout the world and sensitize the lingering unresolved Kashmir dispute on the UN agenda for implementation of its Security Council resolutions at the earliest possible.
