SARGODHA:Kashmir Black Day was observed on Tuesday across the district, with national spirit and demonstrations of solidarity with the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
According to a spokesperson, the protest rallies, demonstrations and seminars were organized in tehsils across all districts of the division, drawing participation from government officials, teachers, students, lawyers, traders, journalists and civil society representatives.
The main protest rally was taken out from the Arts Council Complex under the leadership of Commissioner Sargodha Division Hafiz Shaukat Ali and Deputy Commissioner Hussain Ahmad Raza Chaudhry.
Participants carried banners, placards, and Pakistani and Kashmiri flags bearing slogans including ‘Kashmir Banega Pakistan,’ ‘Stop Indian Oppression’ and ‘United Nations, Implement Your Resolutions.’ They chanted slogans against India and expressed solidarity with the Kashmiri people.
Earlier, the commissioner and deputy commissioner inaugurated a photographic exhibition at the gallery of the Arts Council Complex, featuring the Kashmir freedom struggle and alleged Indian atrocities.
The exhibition displayed photographs highlighting human rights violations in occupied Kashmir, the sacrifices of those killed and the people’s struggle for freedom. Both officials inspected the photographs and expressed deep sorrow over the suffering of the Kashmiri people.
Speaking to the media, Commissioner Hafiz Shaukat Ali described October 27, 1947, as one of the darkest days in history, stating that India had illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir on that date.
He said the Kashmiri people had been making immense sacrifices for their freedom and right to self-determination for 79 years, adding that their freedom movement was a just struggle that deserved international recognition.
The commissioner noted that Pakistan’s government and people observed the day every year to remind the international community that India continued to maintain its control over Kashmir in violation of United Nations resolutions and the principles underlying the partition of the subcontinent.
Participants reaffirmed their solidarity with the Kashmiri people, declaring that the bond between Pakistanis and Kashmiris was rooted in blood, spirituality and ideology and would remain enduring. They also pledged to continue Pakistan’s moral, political and diplomatic support for the Kashmiri people until they achieved freedom. A minute of silence was also observed during the event.