Sindh to mark Kashmir Black Day with rallies across province

Sindh will mark Kashmir Black Day on 27 October with rallies across the province, The News reported, as the All Parties Hurriyat Conference's Azad Jammu and Kashmir chapter (APHC-AJK) called the date the darkest in Kashmir's history.

The News, in a report filed on Monday evening, said Sindh would mark the day with rallies. The newspaper did not name the venues, give timings, or say which political parties, student bodies or civil society groups would organise the gatherings, and it did not say whether the Sindh government, its ministers or provincial officials would take part.

A separate statement by the APHC-AJK, carried by Kashmir Media Service, said 27 October "marks the darkest day in Kashmir's history". The report quoted the group but did not set out the programme it planned, the venues of its events, or the names of the office-bearers who issued the statement.

Kashmir Black Day is observed each year on 27 October and is marked by political parties and Kashmiri groups with rallies, processions, seminars and statements. The two reports on this year's observance did not say how many rallies were planned in Sindh, which cities would host them, or how many people were expected to attend.

Neither report quoted a statement from the Sindh government, and no provincial notification on the observance was carried by either outlet. The News's account was limited to the fact of the rallies; the Kashmir Media Service report was confined to the APHC-AJK's statement.

No security arrangements, road closures or casualty figures connected to the observance were reported by either outlet on Monday night. Skardu Times could not independently verify the details of either report, and further information on the Sindh programme was not immediately available.