Pakistani Embassy In Turkey Marks Kashmir's 'Black Day'

The Pakistani Embassy in Turkey on Wednesday marked the anniversary of India's annexation of the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947, also known as the "Black Day".

Speaking at the ceremony, Ali Sahin, the chairman of Turkey-Pakistan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, said the "occupation" of Kashmir has been going on for more than 74 years and criticized "the so-called democratic world that has remained silent about the appalling human rights violations in illegally occupied Indian Kashmir."

Sahin underlined that the Turkish nation will always stand by the oppressed Kashmiris in their struggle to determine their own destiny.

"Kashmir is what Palestine is to Turkey; Srinagar's children are Ankara's children; Kashmiri mothers are Turkish mothers," he said, reiterating Turkey's unwavering support until the Kashmir conflict is resolved peacefully in line with the UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

Also addressing the event was Pakistan's Ambassador to Turkey Syrus Sajjad Qazi, who said that the landing of Indian forces in Srinagar in 1947 "to invade the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and crush its innocent people is a heinous violation of international law."

"Today marks a long night of occupation for the Indian-occupied Kashmiris and the beginning of a terrible human tragedy that continues to this day," he added.

Background

On Oct. 27, 1947, Indian troops positioned themselves in Kashmir's largest city, Srinagar, after India and Pakistan gained their independence from British colonial rule. The anniversary of this Indian action is observed by Pakistanis and Kashmiris as "Black Day", while India commemorates it as "Accession Day". The region has been a source of tension between India and Pakistan ever since.

Since then, the picturesque valley has been a bone of contention between the two nuclear archrivals that have fought two full-fledged wars – in 1948 and 1965 – and a three-week Kargil skirmish on Kashmir.

While one-third of the region, known as Azad Kashmir, is administered by Pakistan, two-thirds of the disputed Himalayan valley is controlled by India. -