All Party National Alliance to observe Oct. 22 as “Black Day” from next year

MUZAFFARABAD - The All Party National Alliance (APNA) in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), has decided to observe October 22 as a ‘Black Day’ from next year onwards, in remembrance of the 1947 invasion by Pakistani army men disguised as tribesmen, which led to the division of the erstwhile princely state Kashmir.

Addressing a conference recently, Arif Shahid, a senior leader of the APNA, said that dictum would be followed across Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and the Gilgit-Baltistan region.

“The All Party National Alliance from next year will observe October 22 as Black Day across Azad (Independent) Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan because on October 22, on this inauspicious day, the tribal attack played a key and important role in dividing Kashmir,” said Shahid.

Ridiculing the Pakistan’s claim that it was done to help Muslims in Kashmir, Shahid said: “Our brave tribal brothers attacked. It was said that that we sent tribals to help Muslims of Kashmir. My brothers, my elders and my friends, in the Kashmir Valley, in Muzaffarabad there are 90 to 95 percent Muslims.”

“Please tell me, what wrong five percent of non-Muslims could have done to 95 percent Muslims? What harm they could have caused? What atrocities they could have inflicted? In Jammu, 80 percent of non-Muslims reside, in Ladakh 80 percent of non-Muslims reside, no tribal was sent there,” he added.

He also said that the attack took place to serve the interests of the fledgling government of Pakistan.

“It is completely wrong that they helped Kashmiris, that they helped Muslims. They have not done anything like that. Then, they were trying to serve their own interests to get Srinagar then, and even now they are doing the same,” said Shahid.

M. R. Khaliq, another senior leader of APNA, said that the attack was carried out despite a treaty between Pakistan and Hari Singh, the then-King of Kashmir.

“They attacked Kashmir despite Pakistan having signed an agreement with King of Kashmir, in which Maharaja Hari Singh had accepted Pakistan’s sovereignty and supremacy, and Pakistan had accepted autonomy of Maharaja Hari Singh. This was an agreement between two governments. Despite this, on October 22, 1947, under the guidance of the Government of Pakistan, and under the command of Pakistani army 10,000 tribesmen through Mansera attacked Muzaffarabad so that they could capture Srinagar,” said Khaliq.

In October 1947, nearly 10,000 tribesmen of Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province invaded Kashmir to occupy it by force.

Indian troops were then airlifted into the Kashmir Valley on October 27, and they succeeded in blocking the tribal raiders’ advance beyond Baramulla District on request of the then King Hari Singh. (ANI)