Srinagar: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has called for the observance of August 15, India’s Independence Day, as a ‘Black Day’ in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), in protest of what they describe as illegal occupation and human rights violations by India.

According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas stated in Srinagar that India lacks any moral standing to celebrate its Independence while continuing to enforce military control over Kashmir, violating local human rights and freedoms for over seven decades. Minhas emphasized the confiscation and exploitation of Kashmir’s local resources, administration, and economy by Indian authorities.

Further supporting this stance, Advocate Arshad Iqbal of the Jammu Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) articulated that the people of Jammu and Kashmir harbor no animosity towards India or its independence per se but are demanding recognition and restoration of their political rights. He recounted the words of the incarcerated JKDFP chief, Shabir Shah, who stated that while the Kashmiri people respect the freedom of every nation, India has deceitfully suppressed their own freedoms.

The statement also criticized the heavy security measures imposed in the region on August 15, describing them as oppressive and an affront to the dignity of the Kashmiri people. The heightened security operations, which include widespread arrests and identity checks, effectively confine the local population, as described by Iqbal.

In a related development, the eve of Pakistan’s Independence Day saw the appearance of pro-Pakistan posters and banners across the Kashmir Valley, celebrating Pakistan’s independence and asserting a cultural and national affinity with Pakistan, despite the extensive presence of Indian security forces.