Talk Programme on Kashmir Black Day Held in Kathmandu

EDUCAST, The Embassy of Pakistan in Kathmandu organized a talk programme titled “Kashmir – A Case of Human and Economic Rights under Occupation” to mark Kashmir Black Day. The event commemorated 78 years since 27 October 1947, when Indian forces landed in Srinagar in violation of international law — an act widely regarded as the beginning of prolonged occupation and suppression in Jammu and Kashmir. The programme was attended by prominent Nepali journalists, intellectuals, and civil society representatives.

Messages from the President, Prime Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan were formally presented during the session.

In his message, President Asif Ali Zardari recalled that the Indian military landing in 1947 marked the onset of a dark chapter of occupation and injustice. He emphasized that successive generations of Kashmiris have suffered systemic oppression and grave human rights violations. He urged the international community, particularly the United Nations, to ensure accountability and facilitate a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in line with UN Security Council resolutions.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, in his message, described 27 October 1947 as the “darkest day in Kashmir’s history.” He paid tribute to the resilience of the Kashmiri people and highlighted that India’s unilateral actions since 5 August 2019 have intensified repression through demographic engineering, movement restrictions, and incarceration of Kashmiri leadership. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s firm commitment to the just cause of Kashmir, stating that lasting peace in South Asia is contingent upon its fair and peaceful resolution.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering dedication to the UN-mandated solution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. He condemned India’s continued defiance of international law and its escalated crackdown following the unilateral status change of 5 August 2019, including recent repression after the Pahalgam incident. He called upon the global community to take meaningful action to end the suffering of the Kashmiri people.

Concluding the session, H.E. Abrar H. Hashmi, Ambassador of Pakistan to Nepal, reaffirmed Pakistan’s principled support for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination. He stated that the political, economic, and cultural rights of the people of IIOJK were being systematically suppressed, describing the region as having been transformed into “a large open-air prison under draconian laws.”

Participants at the event expressed solidarity with the oppressed people of IIOJK and urged the international community to play an active role in ending human rights violations in the occupied territory.