PROVINCE REPORT
OTTAWA: The High Commission of Pakistan in Ottawa and the Consulates General in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver observed Kashmir Black Day on October 27 to express solidarity with the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and support their right to self-determination.
The event at the High Commission in Ottawa featured a documentary screening, a photographic exhibition and remarks by human rights supporters highlighting the Kashmir dispute and alleged human rights violations in the occupied territory.
Messages from the President, Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of Pakistan were read out on the occasion. The messages reiterated Pakistan’s diplomatic, political and moral support for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Addressing the participants, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Canada, Muhammad Saleem, described the Jammu and Kashmir dispute as a longstanding unresolved issue on the UN Security Council’s agenda.
He urged the international community, human rights organisations and civil society groups to condemn human rights violations in IIOJK and contribute to a just and peaceful resolution of the dispute.
Kashmir Black Day marks October 27, 1947, when India sent its troops to Jammu and Kashmir, an event Pakistan describes as the beginning of an illegal occupation against the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
The event reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to continue highlighting the Kashmir dispute at international forums and expressing solidarity with the Kashmiri people until their aspirations for self-determination are fulfilled.
