ISLAMABAD: Kashmiris across the world will observe Black Day on October 27 to mark the anniversary of India’s military occupation of Jammu and Kashmir, renewing their call for international action to uphold justice and human rights in the disputed territory.
According to the Kashmir Media Service, it was on October 27, 1947, that Indian troops landed in Srinagar and forcibly took control of Jammu and Kashmir — an act denounced by Kashmiris as a violation of the subcontinent’s Partition Plan and their right to self-determination.
The annual observance, led by Kashmiri communities in Pakistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and across the diaspora, aims to highlight decades of political repression, demographic changes, and human rights abuses under Indian rule.
The report said that the suffering of Kashmiris began with the arrival of Indian troops in 1947 and worsened after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government revoked the region’s special constitutional status on August 5, 2019. The move, through the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A, stripped the territory of its autonomy and paved the way for New Delhi’s direct control.
Since then, the occupied region has witnessed widespread detentions, curbs on media and civil liberties, economic decline, and growing alienation among its residents. Rights groups have documented the demolition of homes, seizure of properties, and arrests of journalists, activists, and political leaders under harsh security laws.
Pakistan has reiterated its political and moral support for the Kashmiri people, marking October 27 each year to reaffirm solidarity with their struggle for self-determination.
Islamabad has called on the United Nations and the global community to ensure a peaceful and just resolution of the Kashmir dispute in line with Security Council resolutions, saying it remains a humanitarian crisis that demands international attention.
