MUZAFFARABAD / QU­E­­­­­­­­­­­­­T­TA: Rallies and demonstrations were held on both sides of the divide in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere in the world on Sunday to condemn Indian invasion of the disputed Himalayan region on this day in 1947.

In Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), events were held in all towns and cities under the auspices of the AJK government, All Par­ties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and other religious and social organisations to mark Oct 27 as “black day”.

The main event was held in state capital Muzaf­­­far­abad, where AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider and federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, among others, spoke.

A 27-member delegation comprising Pakistan’s Sikh, Christian and Hindu communities also attended the event. A group of activists released black balloons in the air amid pro-freedom and anti-India chants.

In his speech, the AJK premier said India had laun­ched an “undeclared war” along the LoC after Aug 5.

“Today is the festival of Diwali but Pakistan’s Hindu community is observing black day along with Sikh and Christian communities which proves that people from all faiths are united for the success of Kashmir liberation struggle,” he said.

“We have no dispute with the Hindu religion... Our conflict is with the fascist approach of Narendra Modi,” he added.

Mr Haider maintained that time had come to constitute a representative setup comprising the AJK government and APHC to plead the case of Kashmiris before the international community.

He noted that Pakistani troops had entered the liberated territory on the request of AJK government on Oct 24, 1947. Contrarily, he added, India had illegally landed its troops in Srinagar and occupied a major part of the erstwhile princely state.

Later, the participants also paraded some 500 metres through the main road, following which the prime minister and other leaders drove to the UN Military Observers office, where they handed over a memorandum, reminding the UN to fulfil its obligations vis-à-vis holding a plebiscite in Kashmir.

Rallies and demonstrations were staged in Quetta, Dera Murad Jamali, Sibi, Loralai, Gwadar, Turbat, Khuzdar, Nushki, Chaman, Qila Abdullah, Pishin, Zhob, Duki, Bolan, Jhal Magsi and other towns and cities of Balochistan to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir.

People carried national flags of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir and placards and banners inscribed with slogans against India and in favour of the Kashmiris.

The main rally was taken out in Quetta by Mir Umair Hasni, an assistant to the chief minister for liaison, in which hundreds of thousands people participated.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2019