The events highlighted the Kashmir dispute and reiterated Pakistan’s support for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The programme at the High Commission included a documentary screening, a photo exhibition and remarks by human rights advocates. Speakers highlighted the challenges faced by people in Indian-administered Kashmir and called for international attention to the dispute.
Special messages from the President of Pakistan, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister were also read out. The messages reaffirmed Pakistan’s continued diplomatic, political and moral support for the Kashmiri people.
Addressing participants, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Canada, Muhammad Saleem, said the Jammu and Kashmir dispute remained one of the oldest unresolved issues on the UN Security Council’s agenda.
He urged the international community, human rights organisations and civil society groups to raise concerns over reported human rights violations and support a peaceful and just resolution of the dispute.
Kashmir Black Day is observed annually on October 27 to mark the arrival of Indian troops in Srinagar in 1947. Pakistan’s diplomatic missions said the observance reaffirmed their commitment to highlighting the Kashmir dispute and supporting the Kashmiri people’s aspirations for self-determination.