October 27 marks 79 years since Indian troops landed in Srinagar, beginning a military presence that has denied generations of Kashmiris their right to self-determination. For Pakistan and the valiant people of Jammu and Kashmir, it remains a Black Day of broken promises, prolonged repression and an unfinished struggle for freedom. Like Palestine, Kashmir stands as a painful reminder of the international community's failure to honour its own resolutions.

But Black Day 2026 comes at a turning point. India's military confrontation with Pakistan in May 2025 challenged its claims of regional superiority, while Islamabad's subsequent diplomatic role strengthened its international standing. From Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's renewed appeal for Kashmiri self-determination at the UN General Assembly last month to Field Marshal Asim Munir's leadership during the May conflict, Pakistan's political and military leadership has demonstrated a common resolve to keep the Kashmir cause alive.

The turning point came after the Pahalgam attack in April 2025, when India blamed Pakistan without publicly establishing conclusive evidence and launched military strikes. Pakistan's response exposed the limits of India's conventional military advantage. A similar pattern had unfolded after the Pulwama attack in February 2019, when India's Balakot airstrike was followed by the loss of an Indian aircraft and the capture of its pilot. In both confrontations, New Delhi failed to achieve the decisive military outcome it had anticipated.

The May 2025 conflict changed the strategic equation between the two countries. Pakistan demonstrated its ability to counter Indian military pressure, while President Donald Trump's subsequent involvement in ceasefire diplomacy showed that New Delhi could not prevent international attention to a confrontation between two nuclear-armed neighbours. Pakistan has since become an important diplomatic actor in efforts to contain the Iran conflict, while strengthening security cooperation with Saudi Arabia and........

© The Friday Times