The Jammu-based All Parties Hurriyat Conference leaders have said that the people of Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir will observe January 26, the Indian Republic Day, as a Black Day to send a message to the international community that Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory.
The APHC leaders, Advocate Divender Singh Behl, Mir Shahid Saleem, Muhammad Aaqib and Asrar Ahmad in their statements issued in Jammu deplored that India has been denying the Kashmiris their UN-recognized right to self-determination for the last several decades. They said India has no right to celebrate its Republic Day in Jammu and Kashmir as it has illegally occupied the territory against the will of the Kashmiri people.
The APHC leaders maintained that India claims to be the largest democracy of the world but its democratic credentials stand exposed in occupied Kashmir. They strongly condemned the brutal crackdown launched by the Indian forces’ personnel across the occupied territory ahead of India’s Republic Day, which Kashmiris across the world observe as a Black Day every year. They also expressed serious concerns over the deteriorating health of illegally detained Kashmiri political leaders and demanded their immediate release.
The leaders also thanked Pakistan for its unwavering moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris’ indigenous freedom struggle and hoped that the country will continue this support till the Kashmiri people achieve their right to self-determination.—KMS
