Outpouring of support for Kashmiris

Demonstrators seek to draw world’s attention towards Indian occupation

PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE/ KARACHI: Thousands of people took to the streets across Pakistan on Wednesday to express solidarity with Kashmiris amid growing brutalities of Indian security forces in the disputed Himalayan valley.

The government had announced a ‘black day’ for July 20 after violence erupted in Indian-controlled Kashmir, triggered by the killing of popular Kashmiri youth leader Burhan Wani. At least 45 people have since been killed in clashes between demonstrators and Indian forces.

On Wednesday, rallies and functions were arranged across Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to draw the attention of the international community towards the burning issue.



Hundreds of people participated in rallies in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Muzaffarabad and other cities, shouting slogans against India’s forcible administration of Kashmir. Speakers urged the United Nations to intervene and resolve the lingering dispute. The federal government had directed all officers to wear black armbands at their workplaces to denounce Indian atrocities and to express solidarity with Kashmiri people.

PM’s message

In his message, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reiterated that Pakistan would never leave Kashmiris alone and their case would be fought at all diplomatic, political and human rights fora.

The premier has always extended “unflinching support” to the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination and raised the issue at all international forums in his three tenures.

He tried to jolt the international conscience when he addressed the UN, saying “more than six decades ago the UN passed resolutions to hold plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir but its people are still waiting the fulfilment of that promise”.

Major rallies

In the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, people from all walks of life joined the protests organised by various political parties, calling for an end to human rights violations in Indian Kashmir.



In one of the major protests, about 20,000 people blocked a highway connecting Islamabad to Muzaffarabad in AJK.

At a press conference, Kashmir Affairs Minister Chaudhry Barjees Tahir said world peace was linked with the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. “If the United Nations can get its resolutions implemented in East Timor, then why not on Kashmir?”

Various political, religious and social organisations organised rallies in different areas of Karachi. Participants carried banners and placards condemning Indian atrocities against Kashmiris in the occupied valley.

At the biggest demonstration, which started from DJ Science College and ended at Karachi Press Club, Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Naeemur Rehman said the martyrdom of Burhan Wani had given a new dimension to the freedom struggle of Kashmiris.

Several organisations also staged demonstrations outside the KPC, condemning the brutalities of Indian forces.

Lahore protests

In Lahore, corner meetings and walks were held at various offices where the international community was urged to take notice of Indian atrocities.

The lawyers’ community also observed the day by hoisting black flags on bar buildings and wore black armbands at courts. The Lahore Bar Association held a meeting of its general house, where speakers condemned Indian atrocities, vowing to stand with their Kashmiri brothers.



Speakers at rallies held in southern Punjab districts demanded that the government revise curricula taught in schools to ensure the future generation was taught about the atrocities committed in Kashmir by the Indian armed forces.

Peshawar demos

The Tehreek-e-Naujawan Pakistan staged a protest to extend its support to the people of Kashmir in their struggle for independence. The protesters shouted slogans in favour of Kashmiris and against Indian aggression. They urged the Indian government to immediately stop brutalities against Kashmiris.

Pak Sarzameen Party leader Raza Haroon, while addressing a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club, said the federal government and the foreign ministry had failed to raise a voice for the rights of the people of Kashmir.

In a statement, Balochistan Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri also condemned the Indian atrocities against people of Kashmir. “Hundreds of people in Indian Kashmir have lost their lives while fighting for their rights,” he said. “Pakistan will not withdraw its support to the people of Kashmir.”

He said the Indian government should come to the dialogue table to resolve the Kashmir issue.

Pakistan’s Ankara Embassy also marked the ‘Black Day’ by holding special prayers for the martyrs of Kashmir and for the peaceful resolution of the dispute.



Protests in India

In the Indian city of Chennai, Tamil Nationalist and Periyarist Movements staged a protest in solidarity with Kashmiris while condemning India’s “terror” and “violence” in the disputed valley.

India’s main opposition party Congress  President Sonia Gandhi also slammed the Narendra Modi government over the recent unrest in Kashmir, saying the recent events posed a “grave danger” to the country.

She said ex-prime minister Manmohan Singh’s government had done tremendous amount of good work in the occupied valley but that was “no longer the case”. “Recent events are tragic and pose a grave danger to the country. We must ask ourselves, what has driven scores of young people to such levels of violence,” she said while addressing the first meeting of Congress parliamentary party.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2016.