PHOTO: File 

SRINAGAR: Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and across the world observe India?s Independence Day as Black Day today, the Kashmir Media Service reported.

The day will be marked by a complete strike in occupied Kashmir, a call for which has been jointly given by the resistance leadership comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Muhammad Yasin Malik.

Protest rallies and different functions will be held in the territory and in world capitals to highlight different dimensions of the Kashmir dispute and Indian atrocities on innocent Kashmiris.

The resistance leadership has appealed to teachers, students and their parents to boycott all functions related to India?s Independence Day.

?We are not against the freedom of any country and will provide them a chance to decide the future by allowing independent plebiscite in Kashmir, till then it doesn?t have any moral and constitutional right to organize the freedom celebrations in the territory,? the joint leadership said.

?India itself attained freedom from British rule on August 15, 1947 and became an independent country but only after 72 days of this freedom, this country snatched the freedom rights of the Kashmiri people and forcibly occupied this region by landing its troops on 27 October and since then this occupation continues,? it said.

The joint leadership added that the Kashmiri people?s demand for Right to Self Determination is a purely democratic demand and despite India promising to fulfil this demand on national as well as international levels it backtracked from the promises.