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
Peshawar church attack haunts Christians at Christmas
- The 2013 suicide attack at All Saints Church killed 113 worshippers, leaving lasting scars on survivors
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to protect religious minorities on Christmas, act against any injustice
PESHAWAR: After passing multiple checkpoints under the watchful eyes of snipers stationed overhead, hundreds of Christians gathered for a Christmas mass in northwest Pakistan 12 years after suicide bombers killed dozens of worshippers.
The impact of metal shards remain etched on a wall next to a memorial bearing the names of those killed at All Saints Church in Peshawar, in the violence-wracked province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“Even today, when I recall that day 12 years ago, my soul trembles,” Natasha Zulfiqar, a 30-year-old housewife who was wounded in the attack along with her parents, told AFP on Thursday.
Her right wrist still bears the scar.
A militant group claimed responsibility for the attack on September 22, 2013, when 113 people were killed, according to a church toll.
“There was blood everywhere. The church lawn was covered with bodies,” Zulfiqar said.
Christians make up less than two percent of Pakistan’s 240 million people and have long faced discrimination in the conservative Muslim country, often sidelined into low-paying jobs and sometimes the target of blasphemy charges.
Along with other religious minorities, the community has often been targeted by militants over the years.
Today, a wall clock inside All Saints giving the time of the blast as 11:43 am is preserved in its damaged state, its glass shattered.
“The blast was so powerful that its marks are still visible on this wall — and those marks are not only on the wall, but they are also etched into our hearts as well,” said Emmanuel Ghori, a caretaker at the church.
Addressing a Christmas ceremony in the capital Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to protect religious minorities.
“I want to make it clear that if any injustice is done to any member of a minority, the law will respond with full force,” he said.
For Azzeka Victor Sadiq, whose father was killed and mother wounded in the blasts, “The intensity of the grief can never truly fade.”
“Whenever I come to the church, the entire incident replays itself before my eyes,” the 38-year-old teacher told AFP.
