Pakistan Consulate General Chicago Observes Kashmir Black Day

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Oct, 2016 ) : A large number of Pakistani and Kashmiri community members from Chicago and local academicians gathered at Pakistan Consulate to observe Kashmir Black Day.

Speaking on the occasion, Consul General Faisal Niaz Tirmizi said the Black Day had assumed more significant this year after the Indian Occupation forces had laid a siege and imposed curfew since July, after the killing of Kashmiri youth leader Burhan Wani.

India has unleashed horror in the valley and indulged in the worst human rights violations which also resulted in the loss of more than 110 lives and injuries to more than 12,000, he added. He said more than 700 people also suffered severe eye injuries while over 150 were blinded due to use of pellet guns, he added.

The Consul General also condemned Indian incarceration of leading Hurriyat Conference leaders including Yasin Malik who had been denied appropriate medical help after severe torture at the hands of the military, said a press release on Saturday.

Other speakers included Rizwan Qadir, Javed Rathore and Dr Murtaza Arain. They emphasized the need to highlight grave Indian human rights violations globally and expressed satisfaction on the effective dissemination of the cause by the Government of Pakistan especially during UN General Assembly session this year.

The Consul General informed that India was trying to create war hysteria among the masses which could have dangerous repercussions. He underscored that Pakistan was committed to a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute, however Pakistan's desire for peace should not be misconstrued as its weakness in the face of any Indian misadventure.

He assured the members of the Kashmiri community in Midwest that the Government of Pakistan stood united with Kashmiri brothers and sisters in every step of the way in their valiant struggle for self-determination.

The Consul General expressed the belief that peaceful resolution of the dispute was sine qua non for the regional stability and that the world must take pragmatic steps towards this goal instead of empty rhetoric.

Dr. Daoud Stephen Casewit, President, American Islamic College, Chicago, Ms Linda Wilks, Amnesty International - Chicago, Imam Mukhtar Faezi, Bait ul Ilm masjid, Faraz Ahmed, Harris school of Public Policy, University of Chicago.

Adnan Shafi, Kashmiri- American lawyer (from Srinagar),Ms. Marina Sofi, Kashmiri-American activist (from Srinagar) and Ms. Monica Mori, a University of Chicago alumna, and a permanent fixture in Chicago's literary and academic circles also attended the ceremony.