Black Day Kashmir: Asif Ali Zardari, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

On this day in 1947, Indian forces entered Srinagar in blatant violation of international law, moral principles, and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. Consequently, one of the darkest chapters in modern history began.

Since then, generations of innocent men, women, and children in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) have endured unimaginable suffering under occupation, marked by violence, repression, and denial of their fundamental rights.

Every year, we observe this day as Kashmir Black Day to honour the valiant struggle and sacrifices of our Kashmiri brothers and sisters who continue to resist tyranny in their pursuit of the inalienable right to self-determination. Despite decades of Indian brutality, the spirit of resistance among the Kashmiri people remains unbroken.

After 5 August 2019, this brutal campaign has only intensified. India has unilaterally revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, imposing a military siege, destructing properties of Kashmiris to inflict ‘collective punishment’ and enforcing draconian laws that strip the Kashmiri people of their fundamental freedoms. The occupied territory remains under severe restrictions on movement, communication, and assembly, while fake encounters, custodial torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, continue to terrorize civilians. Systematic attempts are being made by Indian authorities to turn the Kashmiris into a minority in their own homeland.

Given India’s recent hostilities towards Pakistan, the occasion of Kashmir Black Day highlights that lasting peace and stability in South Asia is contingent upon a just and lasting resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.

We take this opportunity today to call upon the international community, particularly the United Nations and global human rights organizations, to hold India accountable for its grave and systematic human rights violations in IIOJK, to bring an immediate end to the ongoing Indian atrocities in the occupied territory and to actively work towards the resolution of this long-festering dispute. The United Nations, in particular, owes it to the Kashmiri people.

On its part, Pakistan will continue its unwavering moral, diplomatic, and political support to the people of IIOJK who continue to endure oppression on daily basis. We stand united with our Kashmiri brethren in their struggle for justice, peace and self-determination.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025