London:The Pakistan High Commission in London organised a solemn event to commemorate Jammu and Kashmir Black Day, with British parliamentarians, members of the British Kashmiri community, civil society activists and media representatives attending the gathering.

Participants included Lord Qurban Hussain, Lord Shaffaq Mohammed, Baroness Nosheena Mobarik, Adnan Hussain MP, Afzal Khan MP and Ayoub Khan MP.

In his keynote address, Pakistan High Commissioner Tipu Usman condemned what he described as oppression and human rights violations by Indian occupation forces in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

He said the people of IIOJK had endured a prolonged military siege, alleging that torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings had become widespread.

The high commissioner said India's actions violated international law and threatened regional and global peace and security. He urged the international community to hold India accountable for violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people.

Tipu Usman appreciated British parliamentarians for raising the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in Parliament and with the British government. He reaffirmed the High Commission's commitment to working with lawmakers and the wider Kashmiri community to highlight the Kashmir issue.

British parliamentarians and other speakers expressed solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and emphasised that the dispute was a longstanding international issue rather than merely a bilateral matter between Pakistan and India.

They called on the international community to urge India to end alleged human rights violations in IIOJK and fulfil its international commitments regarding a free and fair plebiscite in the territory.