Protests across Pakistan over India’s illegal move in Kashmir

ISLAMABAD/MUZAFFARABAD: Protests were held across Pakistan on Monday as the government said it strongly condemned India’s constitutional changes in the occupied Kashmir.

India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in a bid to fully integrate only Muslim-majority state with its country, its most far-reaching political move on the territory in nearly seven decades.

In Muzaffarabad, the capital of AJK, dozens of protesters held black flags and burnt car tyres, chanting “Down with India”. “The abolition of the special status of Kashmir will not serve its purpose,” said Zahid Iqbal, 35, a migrant from Indian-Occupied Kashmir. “We will fight, and we will fight with more vigor.”

There were also protests inIslamabad and Karachi. In a statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it would “exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps” taken by India.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said it would raise the issue with allies, including the United States. “We intend to firmly highlight our stance in our meetings with the US delegation visiting Pakistan and with the international community at large,” Qureshi said on Twitter.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said the move “was in clear violation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions” in the region, according to a statement released after a telephone call with Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Monday evening. India has consistently opposed third-party mediation on Kashmir, considering the issue between the two countries.