MIRPUR: (Web Desk) In response to the call of the government, all is set to observe the first anniversary of the bleak August 5, 2019 day as ‘Kashmir Military Siege Day’ (Youm e Istehsal) by the people of Jammu & Kashmir dwelling both sides of the Line of Control and rest of the world.
Youm-e-Istehsal will be observed throughout Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan and rest of the world by the overseas Pakistanis and Kashmiris to condemn the illegal, immoral, and inhuman action of the 5th August, 2019.
In Azad Jammu Kashmir, the day will be marked with the mass anti-India protest rallies and processions at all small and major cities and towns across the liberated territory including the capital city of Muzaffarabad against the above unilateral Indian action stabbing the special status of the disputed IIOJK this day last year at the gun point – denying all international norms and commitments.
A high level meeting held in AJKs capital Tuesday gave final touches to the arrangements for observance of “Youm-e-Istehsaal” and proposed visit of the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan to Muzaffarabad the same day to address Azad Jammu Kashmir Legislative Assembly, it was officially stated.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan will address the Azad Jammu and Kashmir legislative Assembly and will also lead a protest rally in Muzaffarabad, an official handout issued by AJK Government said.
AJK President Sardar Masood Khan, AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan, Federal Ministers and AJK Cabinet Ministers will participate the protest rally to mark scheduled Aug. 5 ‘Kashmir Military Siege Day’ Youm e Istehsal with extreme protest against Indian sinister action of revoking special status of IIOJK this day last year unlawfully and by force.
In Muzaffarabad a big protest rally will be taken out from Domail which will terminate at the UN observer mission. The AJK Prime Minister will lead the rally. The AJK Cabinet Ministers, representatives of APHC, leaders of the Political parties and representatives of civil society will also participate in the rally the participants of the rally will present a memorandum to the UN observer mission.
A year after occupied Kashmir s special status was revoked, the world watches on in silence
Indian barbarism and brutality against Kashmiris is nothing new, the valley has been suffering for decades. But, India reached new peaks of oppression when, under the guise of so-called legislation, the Modi government changed the legal status of occupied Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019 and a new era of oppression began.
The Constitution of India included two basic articles regarding Kashmir, which say that Jammu and Kashmir is a state of India and gave special status to the occupied state as a temporary arrangement.
On May 14, 1954, a Presidential Ordinance named ‘The Constitution Application to Jammu and Kashmir 35A’ was enforced and incorporated into the Indian Constitution.
Under Article 35A, citizens of other Indian states were not allowed to get permanent citizenship in Jammu and Kashmir.
Under this, it was clarified who is a permanent citizen of occupied Kashmir and who can buy land. Past governments of India, be it the Congress or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), never dared to fiddle with the disputed status of Kashmir under Articles 35A and 370 of their Constitution.
Although the army and police persecution continued in the occupied territories, the special status of Kashmiris was not abolished. But on August 5 2019, Narendra Modi’s government, led by Home Minister Amit Shah, controversially decided to divide the area, home to some eight million people.
The move has led to widespread shutdowns of mobile networks and internet, educational institutions being closed down for six consecutive months, scarcity of food and hospitals having more military presence than actual medical personnel. The global community, including Pakistan, is aware that a new wave of oppression has engulfed the occupied valley.
The Indian Parliament repealed Articles 370 and 35A after passing a resolution on majority basis effectively carving up the area and leaving it vulnerable to administrative and demographic changes. The President of India signed the Ordinance to repeal Articles 370 and 35A, and it came into force in October last year.