ISLAMABAD: (Oct 27) Pakistan’s top leadership — President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif — on Monday reiterated the country’s “unwavering support” for the people of Kashmir in what they called their “just struggle for the right to self-determination.”
In separate messages issued to mark October 27, which Pakistan observes as ‘Black Day’ to protest what it terms as the “Indian army’s invasion of Kashmir in 1947,” both leaders renewed their call for international intervention.
President Zardari condemned India’s “unilateral and illegal actions” of August 5, 2019, alleging that they were aimed at altering the region’s demographic structure. He urged the United Nations and the global community to hold India accountable for what he described as “grave human rights violations” in the region.
Prime Minister Sharif echoed the sentiment, asserting that Pakistan would “continue to extend full political, diplomatic, and moral support” to the Kashmiri people. He emphasized that the “resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions” was essential for regional peace and stability.
The annual observance of October 27 as ‘Black Day’ dates back to Pakistan’s long-standing position on Kashmir, which India maintains is an integral part of its sovereign territory.