Islamabad, January 19, AzerTAc.  The Diplomatic Star magazine of Pakistan has posted an article titled “Black January: The Bloody Path to Freedom” by well known journalist Mohsun Ali. The author stresses the territorial claims of the Armenian nationalists against Azerbaijan.“At early morning hours of 20 January, 1990, twenty six thousands of Soviet troops, including the special forces entered Baku from different directions and stormed demonstrators firing the crowds. The forces of Baku garrison and the internal troops also came out of their barracks, and started shooting and smashing by tank tracks unarmed people. As a result of this unprecedented illegal action, 134 men were killed, about 700 men wounded, 841 men got arrested and 5 were declared missing. There were many children, elderly, women, representatives of different ethnic groups and religions amongst the killed innocent civilians. The soldiers gutted 200 houses, state and private movable and immovable property. Military operation was a rough violence of constitutions of the USSR and Azerbaijani SSR as well as International Pact on civil and political rights,” the article says.The author writes that the events of the next days ruined the plans of Soviets. “On 21 January, 1990, the National Leader of Azerbaijan, Mr. Heydar Aliyev, who was leaving in Russia under the eye of Soviet KGB, ignoring the threat to his life, came to the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan SSR in Moscow and in his speech before thousands of ethnical Azerbaijanis strongly condemned communist leaders of the USSR for the massacre. That was a first open statement against regime which not only broke information blockade around that very event but also instilled the confidence to the hearts of Azerbaijanis. On 22nd January, despite of warnings of the military rulers of Baku, more than one million people turned out to bury the victims of that bloody night. The entire republic announced a strike for 40 days what badly affected the USSR economy which was dependent on Azerbaijan’s oil machinery. A special session of the Parliament of Azerbaijan SSR held on the same day condemned the military operation of Soviet Army.Despite of military, political and moral aggression, Azerbaijani national movement kept on struggling and succeeded to stand against the Soviet challenge. The Black January was a turning point in the history of Azerbaijan. It buried chances of preserving the collapsing empire and resurrected national movement for independence. This was a beginning of the end of the USSR,” the author adds. Gulu KangarliSpecial correspondent