Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and world over are observing India's 78th Independence Day as Black Day today to protest against New Delhi's illegal occupation of their homeland. The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leaders, currently jailed in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail, have urged Kashmiris to send a strong message to India that they reject its occupation and demand their fundamental right to self-determination. In their statements, they have appealed the international community to pressure India to grant Kashmiris their right to self-determination.The leaders reiterated the Kashmiris' resolve to take ongoing plebiscite demand to its logical conclusion. "India has no legal or ethical right to celebrate its freedom in the occupied Kashmir.

India’s occupation of Kashmir is a clear violation of the UN resolutions and international laws," they said. On the other hand, Indian authorities have tightened restrictions across the Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on eve of India's Independence Day. Meanwhile, Kashmiri refugees held a demonstration against India at the Azadi Chowk in Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Anti-India rallies followed by protest demonstrations in all small and major cities and towns on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC), will be the hallmark of the day. “Participants of the protest rallies will wear black bands around their arms as a sign of hatred against India,” the organisers of the special black day programmes had said earlier.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan