Srinagar, July 28 (KNS): Peoples Conference leader & Former Deputy Mayor Sheikh Mohammad Imran on Monday termed July 28 as a “Black Day” in the history of Jammu & Kashmir, linking it to what he described as one of the most painful legacies left behind by late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed the imposition of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the region.

In a strongly worded statement, Imran said, “Calling the man who brought AFSPA to Kashmir a ‘man of peace’ is not just factually wrong. It is a direct insult to every Kashmiri grave, every orphaned child, and every mother still waiting for justice.”

AFSPA, enacted in J&K in September 1990 during Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s tenure as India’s Union Home Minister, granted sweeping powers to armed forces, including the right to shoot on suspicion, arrest without warrant, and search homes with full legal immunity.

“AFSPA did not bring peace — it brought impunity. It allowed boots to storm our homes and bullets to silence our voices,” Imran said, while denouncing what he called the mainstream political class’s double-faced nationalism.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

He further stated that the legacy of black laws in Kashmir goes beyond AFSPA. “The Abdullahs gave us PSA in 1978, supported TADA, and jailed thousands, including minors and journalists, without trial. Mufti Sayeed gifted us AFSPA. Amit Shah abrogated Article 370. Each milestone, a blow to Kashmiri dignity.”

Referring to recent attempts by some parties to project themselves as protectors of peace and identity, Imran warned against whitewashing political betrayal. “The dynasties who ruled us, jailed us, and buried us under black laws now seek power again but Kashmiris remember. And we will speak,” he asserted.

Sheikh Imran reaffirmed his party’s stand, saying, “We are proud Indians but we are not BJP. We will fight politically, legally and democratically not against India, but against those who exploit India to crush Kashmir.”

The statement comes on the foundation day of the People’s Democratic Party, a day Sheikh Imran says will be remembered by history not for dialogue or democracy, but for the beginning of a long, dark chapter of unaccounted violence. (KNS)