Online Desk: Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and across the world are observing India’s Independence Day as a Black Day today to protest India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the call to observe the Black Day has been given by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and supported by all pro-freedom leaders and organizations.

Kashmiris living across the world will hold anti-India demonstrations today to draw international attention to the ongoing Indian atrocities in the occupied territory. Anti-India demonstrations and rallies will also be held in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan to express solidarity with the oppressed people of the occupied territory.

Meanwhile, the Indian authorities have further tightened restrictions across IIOJK, particularly in Srinagar, to prevent pro-Pakistan and anti-India protests.

Multi-layered security arrangements have been put in place around Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar, where the main Indian Independence Day function is being held. Sharpshooters have been deployed on high-rise buildings, while the stadium is being monitored through drone cameras. Barricades have been erected at key locations across the city, and vehicles, passengers and pedestrians are being subjected to strict searches.

On the other hand, former Pakistani diplomat Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry has said the current structure of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) no longer reflects the geopolitical realities of 2026, making comprehensive reform essential.

According to Kashmir Media Service, speaking in a media interview on UNSC reform and Pakistan’s position, Chaudhry said the Council’s composition had remained largely unchanged since 1965, despite the UN’s membership expanding to 193 countries.

He said the central disagreement over reform was between countries seeking an increase in elected, non-permanent seats and those advocating the addition of new permanent members.

Chaudhry said Pakistan supported the Uniting for Consensus model, which favours expanding rotating, elected non-permanent seats rather than creating additional permanent memberships.

He described permanent membership as undemocratic and argued that increasing elected seats would provide more equitable representation to regions that remain underrepresented, particularly Africa and Latin America.

Chaudhry said Pakistan opposed permanent seats for India, Brazil, Germany and Japan, arguing that adding more permanent members would further privilege powerful countries within the international system.

He said India’s alleged non-compliance with UN Security Council resolutions, particularly those concerning the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, was another reason Pakistan could not accept New Delhi’s bid for permanent membership.

Chaudhry also warned that expanding the permanent membership and veto system could further paralyse the UN Security Council. He recalled the deadlock witnessed during the Cold War and said the increasing use of vetoes in recent years had already weakened the Council’s effectiveness.

He stressed that any meaningful reform should make the Security Council more representative, democratic and effective while ensuring greater participation of states that are currently underrepresented.

Chaudhry’s remarks reaffirm Pakistan’s longstanding position that UNSC reform should prioritise broader regional representation through elected seats rather than create another tier of permanently privileged states