Jammu, Leaders of the Jammu-based All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) have announced that the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) will observe January 26, the Indian Republic Day, as a Black Day. This move is intended to highlight the region’s disputed status and to convey their message to the international community.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the APHC leaders, including Advocate Divender Singh Behl, Mir Shahid Saleem, Muhammad Aaqib, and Asrar Ahmad, issued statements in Jammu criticizing India for denying Kashmiris their right to self-determination as recognized by the United Nations. They assert that India, having occupied the territory against the will of its people, has no legitimate right to celebrate Republic Day in Jammu and Kashmir.

The APHC leaders contend that India’s democratic credentials are questionable in the context of its actions in occupied Kashmir. They condemned the heavy crackdown by Indian forces in the region ahead of Republic Day, a day annually marked as a Black Day by Kashmiris worldwide. The leaders also expressed grave concern over the health of detained Kashmiri political leaders and called for their immediate release.

Furthermore, the APHC leaders expressed gratitude towards Pakistan for its continuous moral, political, and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri freedom struggle. They expressed hope that this support would persist until the Kashmiri people achieve their right to self-determination.