Indian Independence Day-Black Day for Kashmiris and Pakistanis

By Sajjad Shaukat

Every year, when India celebrates Independence Day on August 15, Kashmiris living on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and Pakistanis, including those rest of the world observe it as the Black Day to convey the message to the international community that New Delhi continues to usurp their inalienable right of self-determination.

Earlier, in 1947, the historical resolution was adopted by the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference Muslim Conference (MC) in Abi Guzar, Srinagar with 59 prominent leaders in attendance.

The resolution was unanimously adopted, indicating that the aspirations of millions of Kashmiri Muslims warrant accession of the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) with Pakistan.

During the partition of the sub-continent, the people of the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), which comprised Muslim majority, decided to join Pakistan. But, Dogra Raja, Sir Hari Singh, a Hindu, who was ruling over the J&K in collusion with the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Governor General Lord Mountbatten, joined India. The Radcliffe Boundary Award gave the Gurdaspur District—a majority Muslim area to India to provide a land route to the Indian forces to move into the J&K.

Indian forces invaded Srinagar on October, 27 1947 and forcibly occupied the J&K in utter violation of the partition plan. When Pakistan responded militarily, on December 31, 1947, India made an appeal to the UN Security Council to intervene and a ceasefire ultimately came into effect on January 01, 1949, following UN resolutions calling for a plebiscite in Kashmir. On February 5, 1964, India backed out of its commitment of holding plebiscite. Instead, Indian Parliament declared Kashmir–an integral part of the Indian Union.

In fact, the very tragedy of Kashmiris had started after 1947 when they were denied their genuine right of self-determination. They organised themselves against the injustices of India and launched a war of liberation which New Delhi tried to suppress through various forms of state terrorism.

Since 1989, various tactics of state terrorism have been part of a deliberate campaign by the Indian army and paramilitary forces against Muslim Kashmiris. It has been manifested in various ruthless tactics.

On August 5, 2019, Indian brutal actions against the Muslim Kashmiris reached climax when Indian government led by the fanatic Indian Premier Narendra Modi revoked articles 35A and 370 of the Constitution, which gave a special status to the disputed territory of the IIOJK. Indian government bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories—Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to be ruled by the federal government.

Due to Modi’s pressure, the verdict of the Indian Supreme Court on December 11, 2023 upheld the decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status in 2019.

While, the deployment of more than 900,000 military troops in the IIOJK, who have martyred tens of thousands of the Kashmiris—Modi-led government has intensified measures, bringing ethno-demographic changes in the IIOJK to convert Muslim Kashmiris into minority.

Western media, human rights groups and leaders of various countries and UNO have repeatedly condemned Indian illegal measures and human rights abuses which keep on going in the IIOJK.  Despite it, Indian PM Modi sworn in as India’s prime minister on June 9, this year for a rare third term. BJP, together with its National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has won a majority.

The newly elected Modi can arrange another false flag like Pulwama attack inside Pakistan’s sector of Kashmir to keep his coalition (NDA) united, and to divert attention from his weak government

Since Modi became Indian PM, he started implementing ideology of Hindutva (Hindu Nationalism). Again, during the election campaign of 2024, Hindu majority had been mobilsed especially on ‘hate Muslim’ slogans.

Very tension escalated rapidly between New Delhi and Islamabad in the aftermath of the false flag Pulwama terror attack in the IIOJK—when on February 27, 2019, in response to the Indian so-called pre-emptive air strike near the town of Balakot, close to the border with Pakistan’s sector of Kashmir, which resulted into no causalities, Pakistan Air Force shot down two Indian Air Force fighter jets and launched aerial strikes at six targets in the IIOJK.

Once again, by ignoring the danger of nuclear war, India wants to recreate the Pulwama drama to obtain political goals. Global media reports also confirmed that Indian forces are spreading terrorism along the LoC to achieve political ambitions.

Pakistan’s civil and military leaders have repeatedly stated that Pakistan’s armed forces “are ready to respond any Indian aggression with full might”.

So, without bothering that full-scale conventional war with Pakistan may culminate into atomic war, enveloping the entire region and probably the whole world, Modi can stage another false flag operation against Pakistan to strengthen NDA coalition government.

Nevertheless, this very Day gives a greater impetus to the Kashmiri freedom fighters, who continue their struggle, demanding their legitimate right of self-determination, as recognized by the UN resolutions.

Nonetheless, like the past years, Indian Independence Day will be commemorated as the Black Day by the Kashmiris, Pakistanis and those living abroad to encourage and re-affirm the Kashmiris’ commitment to continue their struggle for their legitimate right of self-determination as recognised by the UNO related resolutions and till the attainment of the liberation against Indian occupation.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

Email: [email protected]