Kashmiris to observe Indian Republic Day as Black Day tomorrow

Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control in Kashmir and across the globe will observe January 26, India’s Republic Day, as Black Day tomorrow.

The protest aims to impress upon the world to take notice of India’s continued denial of the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.

The call for observing Black Day has been issued by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and other pro-freedom organizations, including the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front. The day will be marked by a complete shutdown in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), accompanied by anti-India rallies and demonstrations in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan, and various world capitals.

The shutdown and demonstrations will send a strong message to the international community that India, as the usurper of Kashmiris’ fundamental rights, has no moral or legal justification to celebrate its Republic Day in the occupied territory.

In IIOJK, posters displayed by the APHC and other organizations have urged people to boycott all Indian official events and to hoist black flags on their homes, shops, and other buildings. These posters have been surfacing at various locations in the territory over the past week, calling for resistance against Indian occupation.

The jailed Chairman of APHC, Masarrat Aalam Butt, in a message from New Delhi’s notorious Tihar jail, has appealed to the Kashmiri people to mark India’s Republic Day as a Black Day to register their voice against the Indian illegal occupation. He emphasized that India’s military presence in Jammu and Kashmir is illegal, illegitimate, and unconstitutional, violating international law and principles of justice.

“A country that has stripped the people of Jammu and Kashmir of their fundamental rights has no moral ground to celebrate its Republic Day in the territory,” Masarrat Aalam Butt said. He reiterated that India’s occupation is a blatant violation of global norms, and the Kashmiri people’s resistance against this oppression will persist.

The shutdown and protests aim to expose India’s hypocrisy and amplify the demand for Kashmiris’ right to self-determination—a promise enshrined in numerous UN resolutions yet ignored by New Delhi. The Kashmiris’ observance of Black Day is a testament to their unwavering resolve to resist oppression and seek justice in the face of relentless Indian occupation.