More than 1,000 march in Luton for Kashmir

LUTON: Residents of Luton have come together to show solidarity with the residents of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir against the BJP-government’s unilateral decision to scrap the special status of the disputed territory.

More than a thousand people across various communities showed their support on Friday for the plight currently being faced by the people who have been under strict military lockdown for nearly a week.

This protest was endorsed by Luton Borough Council Leader Cllr Hazel Simmons, who expressed her serious concerns, and committed that the Luton Borough Council would do whatever it could to raise this matter with the right forums.

There were other councillors in attendance and a message of support was also read out by Executive Cllr Rachel Hopkins read out a message from Labour’s Luton North MP Kelvin Hopkins. The gathering was also graced by prominent Muslim scholar Maulana Hafiz Ejaz Ahmed.

The protesters started their march from Luton Central Mosque and walked to the outside town hall, where there were a numbers of speakers who reaffirmed their support for the rights of the people of Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir to determine their own future in accordance with UN resolutions and international obligations. The protesters also demanded of the Indian government to reverse its decision regarding Article 370.