Scotland (UK): On the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the creation of Pakistan, which is being observed on August 14, political repression is on the rise in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Several political activists were arrested in Muzaffarabad, the capital city of PoK, on August 11 for sharing anti-Pakistan posts on social media. They were beaten at the local police station and forced to condemn their actions and repost pro-Pakistan statements on social media. The PoK government has ordered that the Pakistan flag be hoisted on all government buildings and salutations be offered on August 14.
This is in stark contradiction to the United Nations resolutions that recognise PoK as a disputed territory.
The fact is that PoK is the only Indian Territory, which has been occupied by Pakistan since 1947. Pakistan’s repression and atrocities have increased since the abrogation of Article 370 by the Indian government on August 5, 2019, which gave the Indian Jammu and Kashmir the illusion of being a so-called special status state.
The fast-paced development and return of peace in the now union territory of Jammu and Kashmir has brought the oppressive role of Pakistan into question and youth in PoK are demanding the Pakistan army to quit PoK.
Contrary to the government of PoK, the occupied territory’s youth has issued a call for 14 August to be observed as a "Black Day'.
The Baloch people have also declared 14 August as "Black Day" in Balochistan. The Pakistan Army occupied the independent state of Baluchistan on March 28, 1947.
Ever since the Baloch population have raised arms against Pakistan on at least five occasions. Not a day passes by when Baloch rebels of different formations do not attack and kill the Pakistan army and security personnel using guerrilla war tactics.
Contrary to 14 August being observed as a Black Day, 15 August is being observed as a Great Day, and rightly so.
15 August marks the day when India won its freedom from the colonial rule of the British Empire. It was the culmination of 200 years of anti-colonial struggle from the 1757 Battle of Plassey to the great war of independence of 1857 to the naval rebellion of Sholapur in 1946.
All the above struggles against colonial rule led to the birth Indian National Congress in 1885, the Ghadar Party in 1913, the Communist Party of India in 1925, the Nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh popularly known as the RSS, a National Volunteer Organisation in 1925 and many more political and social campaign groups that fought or advocated for the liberation of Hindustan.
What makes August 15 a Great Day is the fact that on this very day, a new nation was born that came to be known as the biggest democracy in the world. It was a day when more than 500 princely states of British India joined hands to give birth to the new Republic of India. India was partitioned by the British on August 14 culminating in the deaths of over a million people of all faiths and the displacement of no less than 10 million people.
It is known as the worst communal-based migration in the history of mankind.
August 14 can never be celebrated as a great day. It was, and remains to this day, a day that was marked with communal hate and bloodshed. The two-nation theory of Muhammad Ali Jinnah continues to this day to poison the minds of millions of people in the PoK.
A nation-state born on August 14 called Pakistan has the religion of Islam as its state religion. It has become a terrorist training camp where jihadi terrorists are trained on an industrial scale.
Pakistan has provided a safe haven for terrorists like Osama Bin Laden, Hafiz Saeed, Syed Salahuddin and the rest.
A nation-state born on August 15 called India has produced a secular constitution where all citizens are equal before the law of the land. Pakistan has a history of persecuting its religious minorities. India on the other hand has a tradition of honouring its religious and ethnic minorities.
A Muslim by the name of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam became the President of India and today the President of India is Droupadi Murmu, a member of a tribal community.
Pakistan has corrupt military and civil bureaucracies that have drained the country leading it to the brink of default. India has become the fifth largest economy in the world surpassing the United Kingdom which had colonised her.
Pakistan has nothing to feel gratified about, whereas India has every reason to be proud and hold her head high upon her broad shoulders. Pakistan has plundered the natural resources of PoK while India has enriched the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
PoK has only 2G. Jammu Kashmir has 5G. The sewage system in Muzafarabad has collapsed. Srinagar has become a smart city. Pakistan has established launch pads to infiltrate India and cause harm. India has held a G20 to uplift the union territory of J-K.
At a time when Indian citizens are celebrating their newfound prosperity, the residents of PoK are protesting out on the streets against non-payment of pensions, wheat shortages, load shedding and sliding living conditions. Therefore, for the youth of PoK, 14 August is truly a "Black Day" and 15 August is beyond a doubt a Great Day to celebrate. —ANI
