SRINAGAR: Posters have emerged across Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) appealing to the people to observe August 5 (Monday) as Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir and Black Day.
According to Kashmir Media Service, on August 5, 2019, the BJP-led Hindutva government of India illegally revoked Articles 370 and 35A, which granted special status to the internationally recognized disputed territory. This decision was enforced following a brutal military and police siege, during which all communications, including internet and mobile phone services, were suspended for over 500 days across the Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh regions of IIOJK.
The appeal to observe August 5 as Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir and Black Day has been endorsed by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and nearly all other Kashmiri Hurriyet organizations. Statements and posters disseminated in Srinagar and other parts of the occupied territory emphasize this call.
The posters feature images of detained APHC leaders, including Chairman Masarrat Aalam Butt, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Aasiya Andrabi, and Nayeem Ahmed Khan, and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. They urge the public to reject the illegal and unilateral actions taken by the Indian government on August 5, 2019.
The messages on the posters demand the reversal of the August 5 actions, the release of all political detainees, an end to human rights violations by Indian troops in IIOJK and the solution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
The international community, including the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has been urged to intervene and resolve the Kashmir dispute based on the long-standing resolutions regarding a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir.
The posters also appeal to human rights organizations to send teams to IIOJK to assess the situation on the ground, including the number of those killed, injured, and detained, as well as the impact on mental health in the territory.