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Thursday March 28, 2024

Kashmir Solidarity Day observed

LAHORETENS of thousands of people rallied across Lahore Thursday to observe ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ to highlight Indian occupation of Muslim majority Kashmir state, setting ablaze Indian flags and effigies of Indian Prime Minister Modi and Army chief Dalbir Singh Suhag, condemning UN silence over the six decades violation of its

By Asim Hussain
February 06, 2015
LAHORE
TENS of thousands of people rallied across Lahore Thursday to observe ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ to highlight Indian occupation of Muslim majority Kashmir state, setting ablaze Indian flags and effigies of Indian Prime Minister Modi and Army chief Dalbir Singh Suhag, condemning UN silence over the six decades violation of its resolutions on Kashmir and demanding UN press Delhi for quick implementation of those, and urging world community to take notice of gross violations of human rights by Indian occupant forces.
Almost all religious and political parties held meetings, seminars and demonstrations to mark the day, condemning Indian occupation of Kashmir in violation of UN resolutions and perpetrating worst kind of human rights abuses on Kashmiri Muslims for demanding freedom. They drew a parallel between Kashmir issue with those of East Timor and Scotland, asking if UN could force those countries to hold plebiscite then why allowing Delhi to continue six-decade trampling of UN resolutions.
The largest programme was the public meeting by Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), which was addressed by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, JUI-F leader Maulana Amjad Khan, Tehrik Hurmat Rasool (THR) leader Maulana Ameer Hamza, Tehrik Insaf leader Arshad Sahi and others.
However, the government cancelled the earlier permission to JuD for taking out a rally from Nasser Bagh to Masjid Shuhada, forcing the party to take out a rally from Jamia Qadisia at Chauburji to Lahore High Court, where the public meeting was held.
Besides, JI, JUI-S, PPP, PML-N, PTI, Sunni Tehrik, and different Kashmiri groups also held demonstrations and rallies, mostly on Mall Road and the Lahore Press Club to register the protest on the six decade delay in solving the Kashmir issue despite the UN resolutions calling for an immediate plebiscite in Kashmir to allow the people to decide which country between Pakistan and India they wanted to annex.
Addressing the public meeting outside the Lahore High Court, JuD ameer Hafiz Saeed demanded Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to immediately call a meeting of Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Islamabad to chalk out a unanimous strategy of Muslim world to resolve Kashmir issue. ‘We are Kashmiris and Kashmir is ours; our religion binds us as one nation and we will always continue our moral support to our brothers oppressed by the brutality of Indian Armed forces in Kashmir,’ he said. He warned that Indian foreign minister’s visit to China was a conspiracy against the independence of Kashmir, saying India was ready to accept all demands of China just for gaining its support for Delhi’s permanent status in United Nations Security Council and to calm down the countries raising voice for the liberation of Kashmir from Indian clutches. He said China was Pakistan’s friend but our government needed to understand these conspiracies.
He demanded Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to summon a conference of Islamic countries heads in Islamabad on the issue of Kashmir. He said there was no room left for back-channel diplomacy with India. Hafiz Saeed said Pakistan was the biggest attorney of Kashmir’s oppressed nation; therefore, it should boycott the United Nations (UN), if it did not cooperate in solving Kashmir matter. He said Pakistan fought the war of America, provided its air space, airports and roads for 13 years but now President Obama had declared India its main partner and friend in the region.
JuD ameer said Pakistan should strengthen its ties with China and Muslims countries because China had never deceived Pakistan whereas America always did. He said America threatened Pakistan of surgical strikes but they would never dare it. He suggested that Muslim countries should make their own Muslim United Nations and develop their joint army. America, India and Israel - they all are enemies of Islam and making conspiracies against Pakistan because they see its atomic power as the atom bomb of Islam.
JUI-F Deputy General Secretary Maulana Muhammad Amjad Khan in his address stressed on the unity of Muslim countries.
PPP Lahore staged a demonstration outside Lahore Press Club where workers, clad in white coffins, symbolised the continued killings of Kashmiri youth by Indian army which had so far annihilated over one hundred thousands of them, and set ablaze the effigy of Indian Army chief. Earlier, PPP Lahore president Samina Khalid Ghurki led a rally up to Aiwan-e-Iqbal which was participated by Zahid Zulfiqar Khan, Rana Ashar, Fazlur Rehman Butt, Zarqa Butt, Iffat Butt and Nargis Khan.
Addressing the workers, Samina Ghurki said if all the political parties raised a unanimous voice for Kashmir’s freedom, it could spread all over the world. She said that PPP under the leadership of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was committed to ensure freedom of Kashmir from Indian occupation.
She alleged that Indian army was annihilating Kashmiris and posing a war threat to Pakistan; on the other hand, Indian secret agencies were funding terrorists and separatists in Pakistan.
JI rally was led by deputy secretary general Dr Farid Paracha from Masjid Shuhada to Faisal Chowk which was also addressed by other leaders. The JI leaders warned that US was backing Indian bid to become UNSC member which would jeopardise Kashmir’s liberation. They asked the world community to solve Kashmir issue like those of East Timor, Southern Sudan and Scotland where plebiscites were immediately held; but on the other hand, Kashmiri Muslims were being subjected to prejudice by ignoring their countless sacrifices for liberation of unjust occupation of India.
JUI-F leaders Maulana Mohibun Nabi and others warned against the conspiracies of US-India-Israel trio against Pakistan and Kashmir. Kashmir Centre Lahore set up a protest camp at Faisal Chowk which was addressed by former Punjab Governor and PPP leader Sardar Latif Khosa, PPP leader Ghulam Mohiuddin Diwan, Incharge Kashmir Centre Inamul Haq Kashmiri, PPP Azad Kashmir leader Dr Ahsan Masood, Farooq Azad, Iftikhar Shahid, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and others.
A number of student and youth organisations organised seminars, demonstrations and walks in which the participants highlighted the need of solution of Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions.
Youth Forum for Kashmir (YFK) organised a seminar and a walk while Islami Tehreek-e-Talaba (ITT) also held a demonstration.