ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday accused India of taking aggressive measures in recent years to erode the disputed status of Kashmir, saying that peace in South Asia was contingent upon the resolution of the longstanding dispute, as Pakistan observes Black Day today to mark the 1947 arrival of Indian troops in the region.
Pakistan commemorates October 27 annually as Kashmir Black Day, a moment that it views as the beginning of India’s occupation of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir following the controversial decision of its ruler to accede to India.
The historic event has remained a source of longstanding conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, with both countries controlling parts of Kashmir while claiming it in full.
Pakistan uses the day to express solidarity with the Kashmiri people and underscore their struggle for self-determination. Events, including protests, rallies and seminars, were organized in Pakistan and also in Azad Kashmir, the territory of the disputed region under its administration.
“As I recently reaffirmed in my address to the United Nations General Assembly, Pakistan has consistently maintained that peace and stability in South Asia remain contingent upon peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiris,” Sharif wrote in a message.
“India must realize that it cannot suppress the genuine aspirations of the Kashmiri people by its coercive tactics.”
Sharif accused India of using steps to “tighten its grip” on Jammu and Kashmir since Aug. 5, 2019, mentioning the day New Delhi revoked the region’s special constitutional status offering it limited autonomy.
“Today, the Kashmiri people are enduring the most egregious and painful curbs on their daily lives and livelihoods,” he said. “The number of political prisoners remains in the thousands.”
The Indian decision to change the region’s constitutional status followed Pakistan’s move to downgrade its diplomatic relations with its arch-rival.
Officials in Islamabad also expressed concern that New Delhi was trying to alter the demographics of the only Muslim-majority region under its control by allowing Hindus from other cities to purchase land in Kashmir.
More recently, India has held elections in the region to demonstrate that the situation is gradually normalizing after the uproar following its August 2019 decision, which led to a communication blackout in Indian-administered Kashmir and the arrests of hundreds of political leaders and workers who opposed the move.
The Pakistani prime minister said the people of Kashmir under Indian rule had “suffered countless hardships during the last 75 years,” though their resolve to exercise their right to self-determination was as firm as it was in 1947.
“The Indian occupation forces act with impunity under draconian counterterrorism laws. However, these oppressive measures cannot dampen the Kashmiri people’s yearning for self-determination,” Sharif added.
South Asia’s peace contingent on Kashmir dispute resolution, says Pakistan PM on ‘Black Day’
https://arab.news/8h6sy
South Asia’s peace contingent on Kashmir dispute resolution, says Pakistan PM on ‘Black Day’
- Indian troops first arrived in Kashmir on October 27, making Pakistan observe it as Black Day
- Sharif says people of Kashmir want the right to self-determination despite years of hardship
Pakistan Supreme Court halts trial of prominent lawyer over alleged anti-military tweets
- Top court orders lower court to pause proceedings after lawyers allege due-process breaches
- Mazari-Hazir, husband face charges under cybercrime law that carry up to 14 years in prison
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday halted the cybercrime trial of prominent human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, after their lawyers argued that a lower court had recorded witness testimony in their absence, violating due-process rules.
Mazari-Hazir, one of Pakistan’s most outspoken civil liberties lawyers, and Chattha are being prosecuted under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) over posts on X that authorities say incited ethnic divisions and portrayed the military as involved in “terrorism.” Both reject the allegations. If convicted under the relevant PECA provision, they face a prison term of up to 14 years.
The case has drawn broad attention in Pakistan’s legal community because Mazari-Hazir, who has been repeatedly detained over her criticism of the security establishment, argues that the trial court ignored basic procedural guarantees despite her medical leave request. The case also comes as Pakistan faces sustained scrutiny over the use of PECA against activists, journalists and political dissenters, with lawyers arguing that lower courts often move ahead without meeting minimum fair-trial standards.
The couple’s lawyer, Riasat Ali Azad, said his clients filed a petition in the Supreme Court because the lower court had moved ahead improperly.
“Today, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has stayed the lower court proceedings, the trial court proceedings and has said that the [Islamabad] High Court should decide our pending revision petition for which a date has already been fixed,” he told reporters.
Azad said the violation was clear under Pakistan’s Code of Criminal Procedure, which requires evidence to be recorded in the presence of the accused.
“Yet, on that very day, evidence of four witnesses was recorded in their absence, and a state counsel was appointed to conduct cross-examination on their behalf,” he said. “All these things are against the right to a fair trial under Articles 10 and 10-A.”
A three-judge bench led by Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar ordered the trial court to pause proceedings and instructed the Islamabad High Court to hear the couple’s pending criminal revision petition first.
The trial had been scheduled to resume on Dec.15, but the Supreme Court’s stay now freezes proceedings before both the additional sessions judge and the special PECA court.
The Islamabad High Court is expected to hear the criminal revision petition next week.
Chattha, who is also a lawyer, said the SC ruling underscored the need for procedural safeguards.
“It is a victory for the constitution and the law,” he said, arguing that the trial court had ignored their request to re-record witness statements in their presence.
