Europeans sound alarm as India pursues settler designs in IIOJK

Ramping up its efforts to sensitise the globe about the grave humanitarian situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), thousands of people marched across Europe on Saturday against India's illegal rule.

The demonstrations, on a joint call of the Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK and Europe, were held to mark the fourth anniversary of India unilaterally ending the so-called special status of IIOJK on August 5, 2019.

Rallies and protests were held in different cities of Europe, including in London, Barcelona, Brescia, Glasgow, Manchester and others.

Diaspora community members of Kashmir, Pakistan, and their allies held the Kashmir march in London from Parliament Square to the Indian High Commission.

Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK also launched a digital campaign across London to sensitise people of the situation in IIOJK. The vans with digital billboards ran across the city, showing images from the occupied Kashmir, depicting a grave situation which demands attention from the international community.

Putting up a united front against the illegal occupation of Kashmir by India, Fahim Kayani, president Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK, attended a rally in Brescia as a keynote speaker.

"The participants here in this rally held by justice-loving people in Italy, and thousands of others like you across the world, stand in support of unyielding struggle of Kashmiris in IIOJK to resist occupation and achieve their right to self-determination," Kayani said.

This rally, Kayani emphasised, is important to remind the state of Italy to stand by Kashmiris in their resolute will to achieve their right of the plebiscite as enshrined in the UN resolutions.

"Italy stands with Kashmiris in their struggle to stop India from dehumanising them and New Delhi's settler-colonial project to remove Kashmiris culturally, politically, and ethnically," said Kayani.

In Norway, Shah Hussain, president Tehreek-e-Kashmir Norway, said that it was a fact that the situation in IIOJK has dramatically changed, particularly since August 5, 2019.

"It will not be an exaggeration to say that the people of occupied land are facing an existential threat," said Hussain, warning that time was running out as there is "immediate need to hold India accountable to stop ethnic cleansing of Kashmiris."

Read more: K-P unites to denounce IIOJK annexation

"Indian colonialist rulers have put their machinery in motion which is fast moving to accelerate the process of genocide they have systematically put in place through their proxies since October 27, 1947," he said.

In Spain, Raja Shafiq Tabbasum, president Tehreek-e-Kashmir Spain, condemned the Narendra Modi regime’s illegal action to abrogate special status under Articles 370 and 35A and the enactment of domicile law which are in contravention of Security Council resolutions.

"Kashmiris and the international community reject any process conducted by India in occupied Kashmir, in any form whatsoever," he said.

Mehmood Sharif, Senior Vice President Tehreek-e-Kashmir Europe, said that Indian occupying forces were engaged in the land-grabbing process which is continuing at breakneck speed and hundreds of thousands of acres of land has been taken over by the occupational forces.

"Kashmiri people are being denied their property and non-Kashmiris are being settled on these properties," Sharif said.

The demonstrators across the UK and Europe sought immediate release of Kashmiri political prisoners including Masarat Aalam Bhat, Shabir Ahmed Shah, Mohammad Yasin Malik, Syedah Aasiya Andrabi, Nahida Nasreen, Fehmeeda Sofi, Khurram Parvez, Zafar Akbar Bhat, Peer Saif Ullah and others.

"They have been subjected to solitary confinement and implicated under false charges. We call for their unconditional and immediate release," the protestors said.