MT Desk: Kashmiris in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir have termed August 5, 2019—the day India revoked the territory’s special status—as one of the darkest chapters in Kashmir’s recent history, calling it a declaration of war against the people and vowing to resist it with unwavering resolve. Posters appeared in different parts of Srinagar and other areas of the territory, denouncing India’s unilateral and illegal actions of August 5, 2019. The posters declared that the brutal move to abrogate Articles 370 and 35A was unconstitutional and aimed at stripping Kashmiris of their identity, rights, resources, and land.

The posters described the move as an authoritarian step taken without the consent of the Kashmiri people or their elected representatives. “India has launched a full-scale war on the people of Kashmir,” the posters read, “but Kashmiris are determined to resist and will never surrender their inalienable right to self-determination.” They also highlighted that the abrogation opened the floodgates for outsiders to seize local lands, jobs, and resources, pushing the indigenous population into economic and cultural marginalization.

The key points highlighted in the posters include:

•           The abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A was unconstitutional and illegal.

It was carried out through coercion, bypassing the will of the Kashmiri people.

•           The move stripped Kashmiris of their political autonomy, identity, and fundamental rights.

•           It aimed to alter the demographic structure of the territory.

•           Kashmiris have rejected this act from day one, considering it an assault on their dignity and freedom.

•           The people reaffirm their united and determined struggle for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A.

Kashmiris will never renounce their right to self-determination.

The posters called for mass unity and resistance against India’s colonial ambitions and emphasized that the struggle for justice and freedom will continue until the legitimate rights of Kashmiris are restored.

Meanwhile, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference spokesman, Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, in a statement in Srinagar, said India’s August 5 actions were a direct attack on the territory’s unique identity and an attempt to change the internationally recognized disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir. “The people of Kashmir will continue their struggle until they achieve their UN-acknowledged right to self-determination,” he said. He added that India’s repressive policies and acts of aggression cannot break the will of the Kashmiri people. “The sacrifices of the Kashmiri nation will not go in vain,” Minhas asserted.

The APHC also urged the people of IIOJK to observe a complete shutdown on August 5 (Tuesday) and appealed to the Kashmiri diaspora across the globe to mark the day as Black Day by holding protest demonstrations to expose Indian aggression and draw international attention to the worsening human rights situation in the occupied territory.