Srinagar: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has declared August 5 as a day of exploitation, mourning, and a black day for the people of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which they describe as now resembling a vast open-air prison.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the APHC has highlighted that the Modi regime repealed the special status of IIOJK on August 5, 2019, in a move seen as a grave violation of United Nations resolutions and international law, accompanied by an unprecedented military siege.
APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas stated in Srinagar that the BJP/RSS-led Indian government has stripped the Kashmiri people of their political, social, and religious rights, branding the actions taken on August 5, 2019, as a direct assault on Kashmir’s distinct identity, culture, employment, demography, and fundamental rights. He described the date as one of the most tragic and catastrophic in the modern history of the region.
Minhas called on the Kashmiri populace to observe a complete strike on this anniversary, marking it as Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir and a Black Day. He emphasized the ongoing siege’s fifth anniversary as a period marked by severe violations of international norms and the deprivation of all fundamental rights for the people of IIOJK.
Labeling August 5 as a ‘Day of Mourning,’ Minhas condemned the revocation of the special status as the “worst theft and assault” on the Kashmiri identity and rights. He urged Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and globally to organize protests and rallies to highlight the ongoing issues in Kashmir, describing the region as a “gigantic prison” under severe distress since the 2019 changes, with numerous Kashmiris detained or killed.