Srinagar: Tariq Hameed Karra, the leader of the Congress party in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), has publicly decried the celebration of October 31 as the Union Territory Foundation Day, describing the day instead as one of mourning for the Kashmiri populace.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the foundation day, orchestrated by the centrally appointed Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, commemorates the controversial establishment of IIOJK as a union territory under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act of 2019. This act notably followed the revocation of the region’s special status, leading to a widespread boycott of the celebration by all key political figures from the Kashmir Valley.

In a pointed statement to reporters in Srinagar, Karra articulated the community’s grief, saying, “How can anyone expect the people of Jammu and Kashmir to celebrate when their state was taken from them arbitrarily, undemocratically, and unconstitutionally? Their rights were stripped away, and they were divided into two union territories. For us, this is not a day of celebration, but a day of mourning.”

Addressing comments made by Lieutenant Governor Sinha regarding the non-attendance of regional politicians, Karra stressed the continuing disregard for the sentiments of the Kashmiri people, criticizing the expectation for them to partake in the festivities given the significant erosion of their rights.