Illegally detained All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader Molvi Bashir Ahmed Irfani has called August 5, 2019, a "painful and tragic day" in the history of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. According to Kashmir Media Service, Irfani in a statement from jail stated that on this day, the Modi regime, under the influence of military power, snatched away the basic political, social, and religious rights of nearly one crore people, humiliating humanity. Irfani said that the Indian regime committed atrocities in Kashmir, arresting thousands of people and imprisoning them in distant jails across India. He pointed out that young people were killed in fake encounters, and the media was gagged. Anyone speaking out against the brutality was booked under AFSPA and imprisoned.

Irfani said the Modi regime is using draconian agencies like NIA and SIA to seize Kashmiris' properties and lands since August 5, 2019. He maintained that the Indain army was demolishing houses and buildings, and hundreds of people were sacked from government jobs. He appealed to the people to observe August 5 as a "Black Day" and stage protests to convey to India that they would not give up their right to self-determination. Irfani expressed determination to continue the peaceful struggle for freedom. He urged the international community and human rights organizations to play their role in ending Indian atrocities in Kashmir and granting Kashmiris their basic right to self-determination, as promised by the international community and India's former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan