SRINAGAR, (daily paklish): Dr. Ghulam Rasool, General Secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party, has described 27 October as the darkest day in the history of Kashmir. He said that the arrival of Indian forces in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir on 27 October 1947 marked the beginning of a tragic era in the region’s history, the consequences of which the people of the occupied territory continue to suffer to this day.
Dr. Ghulam Rasool said that despite the passage of nearly eight decades, the presence of Indian forces in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir continues, with their number reportedly standing at approximately one million. Even after such a long period, the Kashmiri people remain deprived of their right to self-determination, while arrests, restrictions, and other measures continue to suppress their political voice.
He further said that thousands of Kashmiri youth, political activists, and members of the Hurriyat leadership remain imprisoned in various jails. The prolonged detention of political leaders and activists has severely affected Kashmiri society. The families of these prisoners await the release of their loved ones, while many children have been deprived of parental care and women continue to endure the pain of separation from their family members. This situation demands the immediate attention of the international community.
Dr. Ghulam Rasool said that the struggle of the Kashmiri people is for the achievement of their fundamental right to self-determination, a right recognized in the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. He stressed that a just and lasting solution to the Kashmir dispute is impossible without recognizing the free will and aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
He appealed to the United Nations, the international community, and international human rights organizations to take notice of the human rights situation in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, take effective measures to protect the rights of political prisoners and detained youth, and play a practical role in enabling the Kashmiri people to exercise their right to self-determination.
Dr. Ghulam Rasool said that immediately after the arrival of Indian forces on 27 October 1947, a massacre of Muslims took place in Jammu on 6 November 1947, in which more than 250,000 Muslims were martyred. 1988, more than 100,000 Kashmiris have been martyred in the bloody events continuing in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir to this day. He said that these sacrifices constitute a painful chapter in the history of Kashmir and underscore the need for a just resolution of the dispute.
Dr. Ghulam Rasool said that 27 October is not merely a historical day but also a reminder of the Kashmiri people’s prolonged struggle and their deprivation of the right to self-determination. The Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party will continue to support the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination and will continue to raise its voice at the political and diplomatic levels for a just, peaceful, and lasting resolution of the Kashmir dispute.