Waltham Forest is a home to thousands of Kashmiris. The majority, hailing from Mirpur District (which is twinned with Waltham Forest), are utterly shocked at the Indian government's illegal move to annexe their homeland

August 5, 2019 will forever be etched in the memory of people in Jammu Kashmir as a black day.

It will be remembered as a day when the so-called largest democracy in the world, illegally annexed the entire Indian-occupied part of Jammu Kashmir with a stroke of a pen, and took away the heritage, the identity, hard-fought fundamental rights, and centuries-old ethnic, cultural and religious harmony and tolerance among the sons and daughters of the soil.

August 5, 2019 will be remembered as a black day because, on this day, millions of sons and daughters of this beautiful but unhappy land, were imprisoned in their homes by 820,000 Indian military and paramilitary troops at the point of gun under orders from a communalist and hegemonic BJP/RSS government in Delhi.

August 5, 2019 will be forever marked as a black by the people of Jammu Kashmir because, on this day, millions of the citizens of Jammu Kashmir were not treated as members of humanity. This day will also be marked as a black day because, on this day the BJP /RSS government under the erroneous rule of might is right, disregarded international law and legality and forcibly annexed a country and its people, whose political status is yet to be determined by themselves through the exercise of their fundamental, inherent and inalienable sovereign right to self-determination.

On August 5, 2019 therefore, the BJP /RSS government of India has thrown an open challenge to the world community by completely disregarding its obligations under the United Nations Charter, and the inherent and inalienable sovereign right of the people of Jammu Kashmir to self-determination under the UN Charter and over some 18 UN Resolutions on the Kashmir issue.

Therefore, the legitimate and just struggle to regain the lost sovereign right of free will, by people of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh, will continue until victory.

Mahmood Hussain,

Former councillor, High St Ward

Maude Terrace, Walthamstow