Pakistan and Hurriyat Conference Mark Black Day in Kashmir

The Government of Pakistan and the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) organized coordinated demonstrations on August 5, 2026, to observe Youm-e-Istehsal Kashmir as a Black Day. These events mark the anniversary of the 2019 decision by the Indian government to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status.

In Pakistan, rallies took place across all four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. A major demonstration occurred on Constitution Avenue in Islamabad, attended by federal ministers and parliament members. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif issued statements describing India's 2019 actions as a violation of international law and United Nations resolutions, asserting that South Asian peace depends on the Kashmiri people's right to self-determination.

Simultaneously, APHC leaders in Srinagar called on the Kashmiri people to reject India's presence in the territory. The coalition urged international powers to intervene and ensure a peaceful resolution aligned with United Nations resolutions. The APHC stated that their struggle would persist until the dispute is resolved according to the aspirations of the local population.