PTI rallies in support of Kashmir

Members of fishing community participate in rally, going from Keamari to Manora

KARACHI:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders held a rally from Keamari to Manora to express solidarity with the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on Tuesday.

To mark one year of India's illegal occupation of Kashmir after the revocation of Article 370 on August 5, PTI leaders held the rally, where people from the fishermen community participated in numbers.

On the occasion, PTI parliamentary leader of the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh mentioned that the fascist Narendra Modi government had stripped the special status of Kashmir on August 5, 2019, and since then, there had been a strict lockdown and communications blackout in the IIOJK.

"Since August 5, last year, Modi has converted the Kashmir valley into a jail where elders, youngsters and women are being continuously tortured," he said.

The people of Pakistan would stand with their Kashmiri brethren until they obtained freedom from the Indian government's illegal occupation, he added.

He reiterated that there would be rallies in support of Kashmir to draw the attention of the international community towards the plight of the people locked down in the valley.

"Tomorrow, a train rally will start from Karachi to Sukkur and the gatherings will be organised at union council, taluka and divisional levels across the province to create awareness about the issue," he maintained.

Meanwhile, MPA Saeed Afridi stated that the illegal occupation of Kashmir by India was a clear violation of the United Nations (UN) charter and human rights laws.

"We stand with the Kashmiri people and express support for their right to self-determine [their future] under the UN resolutions," he said.

MPA Shahnawaz Jadoon said that they would support the indigenous movement of freedom of the people of Kashmir, urging the international community and organisations to protect the political rights of the people suffering there.

MNA Samina Matloob, chairperson of Sindh Baitul Mal Hunaid Lakhani and others were also present on the occasion.

'Must find a permanent solution'

Separately, Pak Sarzameen Party head Syed Mustafa Kamal said on Ruesday that self-determination was the fundamental right of Kashmiri people which they should get, and that the United Nations must find a permanent solution to this long-standing global problem, otherwise it could prove to be a catalyst for World War III.

Kamal said that his party would fully support every positive step taken by the Pakistan's government to resolve the Kashmir issue, and India could not suppress the Kashmiris' movement for independence through terrorism and oppression.

with additional input from app

Published in The Express Tribune, August 5^th, 2020.