Black day observed

Like always, this year too, Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and the world over observed the Indian Independence Day, on 15th August, as Black Day to convey a message to the international community that India had usurped the Kashmiris' inalienable right to self-determination. The observance of the Black Day was also aimed at making it clear to New Delhi that it had no moral right to celebrate its Independence Day unless it ended its forcible military occupation over Jammu and Kashmir.

The day was marked by complete shutdown in occupied Kashmir on the call of the All Parties Hurriyet Conference Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani and other pro-liberation leaders.
It is ironical that India leaves no stone unturned to celebrate its independence day in a befitting manner.

However, it has snatched the same thing, the freedom of all kind i.e. the freedom of expression, the freedom of speech, the freedom of movement and the freedom of assembly, from the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Above all, it has been constantly denying the basic right of the Kashmiris to decide their destiny by themselves.

Every year, the Indian Independence Day brings miseries and problems for the people of the occupied territory as they are confined to their houses, subjected to the worst kind of humiliation by frisking and search operations and their movement is curtailed. The occupation authorities resort to stringent restrictions in Srinagar and other towns to prevent people from expressing themselves by holding anti-India demonstrations. The entire occupied territory is converted to a military garrison with Indian army, paramilitary and police personnel wearing bullet-proof jackets, holding sophisticated weapons and patrolling the deserted streets. The people are even disallowed to perform their religious obligations like prayers in mosques.

Unfortunately, all these measures are undertaken by a country, which claims to be the largest democracy of the world and has been striving to get a permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council.
It is a matter of fact that the Kashmiris have nothing to do with the observance of Indian Independence Day and they always keep themselves away from all kinds of functions which are held in this connection as they never accepted the illegal occupation of their motherland by India. They have been struggling to get rid of this bondage for the past sixty-four years and for this purpose hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri youth have laid down their lives. It is the right time that New Delhi understood that it will not be able to hold the Kashmiri people against their will through its military might and must take the steps to give them the freedom, the freedom the Indian people are enjoying. Furthermore, the international community should also break its silence on the state terrorism the people have been facing in occupied Kashmir and play an effective role in resolving the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the Kashmiris' aspirations so that they could also enjoy the freedom.