ISLAMABAD:

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Pakistan observed a ‘Black Day’ on Thursday to coincide with India’s Independence Day celebrations, in protest at New Delhi’s decision to revoke special status for its portion of the contested Kashmir region.

India’s decision this month, along with a communications blackout and curbs on the movement of those in Indian-administered Kashmir, caused fury in Pakistan, which cut trade and transport links and expelled India’s envoy in retaliation.

Newspapers in Pakistan printed editions with black borders on Thursday and politicians, including Prime Minister Imran Khan, replaced their social media pictures with black squares.

Protests are due to be held across the country, including Azad Kashmir, the wedge of territory in the west of the region that Pakistan controls.

The largely symbolic move comes amid growing frustration in Islamabad at the lack of international response over the Kashmir dispute.