Islamabad: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has urged people in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Azad Kashmir and across the world to observe Black Day on January 26, India’s Republic Day, as a united and resolute protest against India’s illegal occupation of their motherland, reaffirming the Kashmiri people’s collective rejection of foreign rule and their unwavering demand for freedom and self-determination.
Posters bearing images of jailed Hurriyat leaders Masarrat Aalam Butt, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Yasin Malik, and Syed Aasiya Andrabi have surfaced, recalling the January massacres in Sopore, Gawkadal, Kupwara, and Handwara carried out by Indian forces, and urging people to observe India’s Republic Day as Black Day.
The posters, which have appeared in Srinagar and other areas, send a clear message to India that the Kashmiri people will never surrender their just demand for the right to self-determination and will continue their resistance until the struggle reaches its logical conclusion.
The posters read: ‘Resistance is existence. India’s so-called Republic Day is a Black Day against the illegal occupation of our homeland, the exploitation of natural resources, and the arbitrary detention of political leaders, activists, and youth, while Kashmir seeks the attention of the world.’
The posters describe Indian democracy as a sham and state that New Delhi’s illegal, undemocratic, and repressive actions in IIOJK should serve as a wake-up call for the international community.
They emphasize that imprisonment and coercion cannot break the resolve of Hurriyat leaders, who remain steadfast in advancing the struggle to secure the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.
They further assert that while India celebrates its Republic Day, it remains one of the gravest violators of democratic and human rights, alleging that the country is effectively being driven by the Hindutva-based RSS-BJP ideology, which they describe as hostile to humanity, peace, identity, and the rights of minorities.
The posters reiterate that illegal detentions and repression will not deter the Hurriyat leadership and that the ongoing freedom movement will continue until its objectives are achieved.