Bradford [United Kingdom], February 6 (ANI): Residents of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), organised under the United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP), held a demonstration outside the Pakistani Consulate in Bradford to coincide with Pakistan’s observance of “Kashmir Solidarity Day.”
In a Facebook post shared by Sardar Tahir Khan, Central Secretary Information of UKPNP, protesters rejected the observance as a “fraud, deception and mockery” of Kashmiris. Demonstrators chanted slogans including “Our Rivers are Ours, Occupation is Unacceptable,” “Stop Violations of Fundamental Human Rights,” “Stop Land Grabbing,” and “End State Terrorism.”
Speakers at the rally accused Pakistan of projecting a false narrative of solidarity while, they said, more than 100,000 Kashmiris have been killed over the past 78 years. They described the proclaimed solidarity as inconsistent with what they called repression, exploitation and denial of Kashmiri national identity on the ground.
Mahmood Ahmed Kashmiri, Chairman of JKNIA, told the gathering that Pakistan’s solidarity rhetoric was an insult to Kashmiris enduring systemic oppression, alleging efforts to erase Kashmiri identity and unlawful exploitation of the region’s natural resources.
Sardar Tahir Khan highlighted alleged breaches of State Subject Laws in PoJK and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) through settlement of non-local populations. He also claimed Pakistani authorities had repeatedly failed to implement demands accepted from the Awami Action Committee on three occasions.
Sardar Amjad Yousaf Khan, President Europe Zone; Sardar Asif Abbas, General Secretary Europe Zone; and Sardar Tariq Khan, President UK Zone, criticised what they called Pakistan’s double standards, saying Kashmiris view the observance not as Solidarity Day but as the “Day of Escape” or “Day of Betrayal.”
Speakers recalled 22 October 1947, alleging Pakistan sent militia and tribal fighters into Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the state’s division, and questioned Pakistan’s claims of solidarity. They reiterated that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are one nation and rejected divisions on religious grounds.
The protest drew many UKPNP activists and members from Leeds, Dewsbury, Mansfield and Yorkshire branches, along with political and social figures. The demonstration was organised by Rizwan Latif, Bradford organiser, who served as stage secretary. (ANI)
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