An artisan at work during a cultural festival in connection with the Kashmir Solidarity Day at Lok Virsa on Sunday. PHOTO: NEWS DESK
Kashmir Solidarity Day was observed across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Pakistan on Thursday, with rallies taken out in several cities to express solidarity with the residents of Indian-administered Kashmir and their struggle for self-determination.
Kashmiri people in all ten district headquarters of AJK observed the Solidarity Day with a renewed pledge to continue their freedom movement till they achieve their right of self-determination.
Hundreds of people formed a human chain at Kohala bridge, linking AJK to Pakistan to mark the day. Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Amir Sirajul Haq and representatives of the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) governments attended the event.
Speaking at Kohala bridge, the JI amir said the international community had failed to deliver justice to the people of Jammu and Kashmir “who have been fighting for their rights since 1947 and sacrificed more than 100,000 lives since 1990.”
“US President Barack Obama has failed to provide justice to the people of Indian administered Kashmir who are facing the worst kind of human rights violations at the hands of security forces of one of the largest so-called democracies of the world,” he added, urging the government of Pakistan to use its offices to draw the world’s attention towards the lingering Kashmir dispute.
Meanwhile, special prayers for Kashmiri martyrs and for the victory of the freedom struggle were offered in mosques in AJK. Various political‚ educational‚ social and literary organisations took out rallies to mark the day.
Political parties and religious organisations also held rallies all across Pakistan to show support for Kashmiris.
In Islamabad, JI, Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) and various other organisations held separate events to mark the day, with speakers highlighting Indian brutalities in Jammu and Kashmir and urging the government to highlight the issue at the UN and OIC.
“Historically, geographically and culturally, Kashmir is a part of Pakistan,” said JI Naib Ameer Mian Muhammad Aslam, who criticised the international community for its dual standards on Kashmir. He said peace in South Asia hinged on a solution to the Kashmir dispute according to the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
Thousands of people across Punjab also staged rallies on Thursday. Various religious and political organisations including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), JI, Sunni Tehreek, Shabab Milli, Al-Khidmat Foundation, Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadith and Sunni Ittehad Council organised rallies, seminars, meetings and conferences.
In Lahore, PTI arranged a seminar at Aiwan-i-Iqbal which was attended by hundreds of party supporters while PPP set up a camp in front of the Punjab Assembly to express solidarity with the people of Indian-administered Kashmir. In Faisalabad, special prayers were held at nearly all mosques in the city.
JI, ASWJ and JuD took out rallies in Karachi as well. “JI will continue to support the struggle of the people of Kashmir and Palestine,” said JI Secretary General Liaquat Baloch in Karachi.
In Peshawar, the K-P culture department arranged a ceremony at Nishtar Hall to mark Kashmir Day. Leaders of different political parties attended the event which featured a tableau presented by school students on the Kashmiri people’s plight. “The international community helped in arranging a plebiscite in Sudan and East Timor, but failed to do the same in Kashmir for more than 65 years even though the issue is on the UN’s agenda,” said JI K-P chief Professor Ibrahim at the event.
ASWJ and JuD took out separate rallies in the provincial capital of K-P as well. Similar processions were reported from Swat, Manshera, Abbottabad, Charsadda, Mardan, Kohat, Swabi, DI Khan, Bannu, Dir, Hangu, Chitral and other districts.
Political and religious parties in Balochistan also held similar events to mark the Kashmir Day. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), JUI-Nazriati, JI, JuD, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), PML-Quaid and others staged separate rallies in Quetta, Sibi, Khuzdar, Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Dera Allahyar, and Qila Saifullah to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir.
Balochistan Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti led a rally in Quetta where protestors chanted slogans in support of the people of Kashmir. Seminars were also held in Quetta during which speakers criticised the role of India in Kashmir.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 6th, 2015.
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