Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and around the world marked Black Day on Tuesday, the 79th anniversary of Indian troops landing in Srinagar on October 27, 1947. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan would continue its moral, diplomatic and political support for the Kashmiri people and wants the dispute resolved peacefully under UN Security Council resolutions.
In his message, Zardari urged the United Nations and international human rights organisations to take notice of the human rights situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. "We will continue to raise their voice at every appropriate international forum," he said. He called the day not only one of remembrance but a chance to renew the commitment to a just and peaceful settlement, adding that lasting peace in South Asia depends on it.
The president said the situation had worsened since August 5, 2019, when India moved unilaterally to change the constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir, and that restrictions on basic freedoms, heavy militarisation and arrests remained a serious concern.
Shehbaz said Pakistan's position on Kashmir was clear, consistent and principled. "On this Jammu & Kashmir Black Day, the government and people of Pakistan reaffirm their unwavering solidarity with the people of IIOJK," he said. He described the prolonged detention of Kashmiri political leaders, activists and rights defenders as deeply concerning and said Pakistan would keep advocating for Kashmiris' rights at every forum.