Published on October 28th, 2016 | by K.

The Black Day marked in Oslo, Norway

Oslo 28. October 2016.

Like else where in the world, October 27. was marked as a Black day in Oslo, Norway in solidarity with the brave people of Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmiri Scandinavian Council in corporation with several other Norwegian organisations arranged this event.

People of Jammu and Kashmir and across the globe observe October 27 as black day against India’s illegitimate occupation of Kashmir. October 27, 1947 is remembered as the day when India forcibly took over the land of Kashmir. The black day was also observed this year in Oslo, Norway.

On 27. October, a big number of Norwegians staged a peaceful demonstration outside the Norwegian Parliament Stortinget to mark the Black day and to register their protest against the recent ongoing killing of peaceful protesters by Indian troops and police in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. A big number of Norwegian organizations and activist groups had gathered to show their sympathy with the Kashmiri people.

The program outside the Norwegian Parliament was headed by Lars Rise, former member of the Norwegian parliament. Mr. Rise established the first Kashmir group in the Norwegian Parliament and initiated several debates on Kashmir in the parliament.

The Protesters carried placards reading “Stop killings in Kashmir”, “Kashmir bleeds and the world looks on”, “UN unfold your preventive diplomacy”, “India – Stop state terrorism in Kashmir”, “India – stop killing of our children” and “India – Implement UN resolutions in Kashmir”. Pictures of children and youth victims of pellets guns were carried by children to show the Indian brutality.

They raised forceful slogans against India and in favor of Kashmiris’ freedom from Indian illegal occupation. Addressing the protesters, Kjell Ingolf Ropstad, member of the Norwegian Parliament from the Christian Democratic Party, said that the people of Kashmir are living in a highly militarized atmosphere as India has deployed a very huge number of military troops in Kashmir. He further briefed about the recent killings in Kashmir and the curfew which makes life of people of Kashmir very difficult. He criticized the use of pellet guns against protesters and the arrest of the separatist leadership, among them Khurram Parwaiz. Mr. Ropstad emphasized the importance of highlighting the Kashmir issue in Norway and the Norwegian parliament. Mr. Ropstad further urged the Norwegian foreign minister to follow up the Kashmir conflict with active peace diplomacy.

Mr. Ali Shahnawaz Khan, the executive director of Kashmiri Scandianvian Council, expressed his deep appreciation to all for joining the evening to show solidarity with the oppressed people of Kashmir. Mr. Khan further stated:

I am in deep shock to watch the videos and news coming from the Indian Occupied Kashmir. The current uprising begins when Indian forces killed a young Kashmiri leader Burhan Muzaffar Wani on July 8. Over 90 unarmed protesters have been killed and 16000 wounded, including 400 young people blinded by pellet guns used to put down demonstrations in recent months but people of Kashmir have shown unmatchable determination to obtain freedom, no matter how much suppression India inflicts on them”.

The Kashmiri people, like people everywhere, deserve their fundamental human rights. They should be allowed to speak, communicate and assemble freely. They should live free of fear and repression. The inhuman treatment to the people of Kashmir must be halted. Kashmir, which was known as the paradise on earth, has become the most beautiful prison in the world. The presence of more than 700,000 Indian military and paramilitary forces have made Kashmir the largest army concentration anywhere in the world. President Bill Clinton has called Kashmir the most dangerous place on earth. Today, ladies and gentlemen, the people of Kashmir are living under the barbaric rule of India. Today is the 110^th day of the continuous curfew that has been imposed by the Indian army on the civilian population of Kashmir. You may not know what does curfew means because you are living in the most civilized nation of the world – Norway.

Today we want to shake the conscience of the people of Norway and Western countries to wake up and raise their voice for the human right and human dignity. Ladies and gentlemen, the demand of the people of Kashmir is nothing more than what Norwegian Ambassador to the United Nations, Ambassador Arne Toraff Sunde stood up for when he voted for the resolution # 80 which was adopted on March 14, 1950. That resolution called “ for the demilitarisation of the State of Jammu and Kashmir and for the determination of its final disposition in accordance with the will of the people through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite.

Ali S. Khan ended his speech with this quote of Martin Luther King: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

Other speakers urged that world need to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation in occupied Kashmir in which over 90 innocent precious lives had been lost, more than 15 000 people had been wounded and hundreds have lost their eyesight due to the firing of Indian forces on peaceful protesters. They appealed to the international community to break its silence over the brutalities of Indian police and troops in the occupied territory.

Speakers also referred to the United Nations resolutions, which called for demilitarization of the state and to settle the status of the state in accordance to the wishes of the people of the Jammu and Kashmir.

The protest ended with a famous Norwegian singer, Arvid Pattersen presenting a beautiful song he dedicated to the Kashmiris struggle for peace and freedom.