SRINAGAR, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) and a prominent leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), has called upon the international community to step in and deter the actions of the Modi-led Indian government, actions he perceives as stripping the people of Jammu and Kashmir of their land, identity, and integrity.
According to a news release by Kashmir Media Service, Shah, while sending a message from New Delhi’s Tihar jail, pointed to specific events such as the singing of a devotional Hindu hymn in Srinagar and the renaming of institutions with Muslim-oriented names. He views these moves as New Delhi’s push to further the Hindutva ideology in the primarily Muslim region of Jammu and Kashmir.
Shah drew attention to the Indian government’s policies which he described as “settler-colonialism”, noting new laws aimed at altering the region’s demography and potentially depriving local residents of their resources, jobs, and identity. He underscored that such measures contradict the right of self-determination promised to the Kashmiris by the United Nations. Calling these policies a breach of UN resolutions, Shah called on powerful nations to scrutinize India’s actions which he believes aims to supplant the native population.
Recalling the Indian government’s decision on 5th August 2019, Shah labeled it a ploy against Kashmiris, designed to eliminate their political, cultural, and national essence. He highlighted the ongoing uncertainties the region has been pushed into. The APHC leader expressed his alarm over the diminishing freedom of press and speech in the region, attributing intimidation, coercion, and harassment of journalists, activists, and civil society members to the policies of the Modi administration.
Shah also beckoned global leaders to persuade India to address the protracted Kashmir issue. Furthermore, in a symbolic move, he appealed to the Kashmiris to observe a complete strike on 27 October, marking it as a day of protest against India’s actions in the region. Another imprisoned APHC leader, Molvi Bashir Irfani, resonated with Shah’s sentiments from Srinagar Central jail, urging the populace to remember October 27 as Black Day, the day that marked the start of India’s influence in Kashmir.
Additional voices like APHC leader Abdul Samad Inqilabi, Democratic Hurriyat Front Chairman Chaudhry Shaheen Iqbal, and Pasban-e-Hurriyat Chairman Uzair Ahmad Ghazali have also issued statements urging the observance of October 27 as Black Day, both within the region and abroad.