Call for observing July 20 as Black Day; July 22 as Kashmir Day
The unified separatist leadership including Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik have called for observing Wednesday, July 20 as ‘Black Day’.
In a joint statement issued here the separatists said ‘Black Day’ shall be observed by hoisting black flags over all the residential houses, commercial establishments like shops and important landmarks and squares. They said a blackout from 8:30 PM to 9 PM by switching off all lights and programmes highlighting the excesses being carried out by the government forces in all mosques shall also be part of the ‘Black Day programme’.
The unified separatist leadership also called for observing complete shutdown until 2 pm on Thursday, July 21 and said that from 2 PM there would be a break in shutdown while complete shutdown would again be observed on Friday, July 22. They said July 22 shall be observed on both sides of the divide and in entire world as ‘Kashmir Day.’
The leadership called upon the Kashmiri diaspora and the humanistic people across the globe who believe in respecting human rights, to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir on Friday by staging demonstrations and processions to protest the killing, maiming and blinding of innocent Kashmiri civilians and the excesses being carried out against them by the forces.
Appealing the international human rights organizations to pressurize New Delhi to stop the human rights violations carried by its forces on people of Kashmir, the leadership called upon them to take strong note of the ‘state-sponsored terrorism’ and play their role in protecting the lives of people of the region.
In the joint statement issued today, Geelani, Mirwaiz and Malik termed the statement of Home Minister, Rajnath Singh of blaming Pakistan for the situation in Kashmir as ‘baseless, farthest from the truth and an attempt to mislead’ the people of India and the international community. They said by accusing Pakistan, New Delhi was trying to give legitimacy to the excesses its forces are carrying out against the people of Kashmir.
Geelani, Mirwaiz and Malik said time had come for New Delhi to give up its ‘stubborn’ stance on Kashmir and listen to the people of Kashmir.
