SRINAGAR: Posters have emerged across Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) urging residents to observe August 5 (Monday) as Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir and Black Day.
According to Kashmir Media Service, August 5, 2019, marks the day when the BJP-led Indian government unilaterally revoked Articles 370 and 35A, stripping the region of its special status.
This move was accompanied by a severe military and police lockdown, during which communication services, including internet and mobile phones, were suspended for over 500 days across the Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh regions of IIOJK.
The call to commemorate August 5 as Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir and Black Day has been endorsed by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and nearly all Kashmiri Hurriyat organizations.
Posters and statements circulating in Srinagar and other areas of the occupied territory prominently feature images of detained APHC leaders, including Masarrat Aalam Butt, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Aasiya Andrabi, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. These materials urge the public to reject the Indian government’s August 5, 2019, actions.
The posters call for the reversal of the revocation, the release of all political detainees, an end to human rights abuses by Indian troops in IIOJK, and a resolution to the Kashmir dispute in line with United Nations resolutions.
The international community, including the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), is urged to intervene and resolve the Kashmir issue based on longstanding resolutions that call for a plebiscite in the region.
Furthermore, human rights organizations are being asked to send teams to IIOJK to evaluate the situation, including the number of casualties, injuries, and detentions, as well as the impact on mental health in the territory.
The posters also recall that on October 27, 1947, India unlawfully invaded and occupied Jammu and Kashmir against the wishes of its people and that August 5, 2019, marked an extension of this occupation through the revocation of the region’s special status.
These appeals are also being widely shared on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, gaining substantial attention and support.
