Black Day Kashmir: Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon, Chairman Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir

Every year, 27th October is observed as Kashmir Black Day to mark the beginning of India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947. On this dark day, Indian troops forcibly entered the territory of Jammu and Kashmir, betraying the will of the Kashmiri people.

This unlawful military intervention remains a crime against history, humanity, and the fundamental principles of justice and self-determination.

Over the decades, India has continued to tighten its occupation, strengthening its military grip on the valley through repression, coercion, and systemic state terrorism. The people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) have faced extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, custodial torture, media censorship, rape as a weapon of war, and collective punishment under draconian laws. The voices of Kashmiri political leadership, activists, and journalists have been silenced, while millions remain trapped under one of the world’s most militarized regimes.

Today, India is also attempting to alter the demographic composition of IIOJK through unilateral and illegal measures aimed at turning Kashmiris into a minority in their own homeland. These actions are a blatant violation of international law, the Fourth Geneva Convention, and numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions that recognize Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory and affirm the Kashmiri people’s inalienable right to self-determination.

Pakistan rejects these illegal actions and stands shoulder to shoulder with the brave people of Kashmir. As Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir, I reaffirm that the Parliament, Government, and people of Pakistan will continue to extend full political, diplomatic, and moral support to their Kashmiri brothers and sisters until their rightful and peaceful struggle reaches its ultimate destination. The Kashmiri people are not alone, their sacrifices will not be forgotten, and their just cause will continue to echo across every international forum.

On this solemn day, we also pay homage to the martyrs of Kashmir and renew our pledge to support their heroic resistance until justice prevails, the occupation ends, and the Kashmiri people are granted the right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under UN supervision, as promised to them more than seven decades ago.

Kashmir will remain in our hearts, in our conscience, and in our collective resolve — until the dawn of freedom rises over the valley.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025