NEW YORK: Kashmiri Americans, along with friends of Kashmir, organized a peaceful demonstration in front of the United Nations (UN) headquarters amid heavy rain.
The protesters demanded freedom from Indian occupation while India’s Foreign Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, addressed the UN General Assembly.
The demonstrators expressed their concerns regarding India’s actions in the region, particularly the enactment of the Domicile Law, which they view as an attempt to change the demography of Kashmir.
Protest amid adverse weather
Despite heavy rain, Kashmiri Americans and supporters of Kashmir gathered outside the UN to raise their voices against the Indian occupation of Kashmir.
The protesters condemned India’s implementation of the Domicile Law, along with other measures perceived as attempts to alter the demographic makeup of Kashmir.
Dr. Ghulam Nabi Mir, President of the World Kashmir Awareness Forum, emphasized the need for the international community to address the human rights violations and atrocities in Kashmir. He expressed disappointment with the UN’s failure to protect the rights of the Kashmiri people over 76 years of illegal occupation.
Dr. Mir accused the Modi regime of attempting to dismantle Kashmir’s unique cultural values and traditions and replace them with a violent and intolerant form of Hindutva society based on a Brahmin caste system.
Demand for demilitarization
Sardar Sawar Khan, former Advisor to the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir, warned that India’s deployment of over 900,000 armed soldiers in Kashmir, under draconian laws, aims to break the will of the Kashmiri people. The long-term plan appears to be creating a Hindu-majority state.
The speakers stressed that Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory, and the laws enacted by the Indian parliament should not apply there.
Dr. Amerjit Singh, President of the Khalistan Affairs Center, highlighted how India’s actions, including the extrajudicial murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, have drawn global attention to its alleged crimes against humanity.
Kashmir as a nuclear hotspot
Sardar Zarif Khan warned that Kashmir is the most dangerous nuclear hotspot globally, emphasizing the need for urgent international intervention.
Several speakers reiterated the Kashmiri people’s longstanding demand for the right to self-determination, as promised by the United Nations.
Memorandum to un secretary-general
The demonstrators submitted a memorandum to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, expressing their concerns about the denial of self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. They argued that the unresolved Kashmir dispute poses a significant threat to international peace and security.
Kashmiri Americans and their supporters used the demonstration at the UN to draw attention to the ongoing crisis in Kashmir, highlighting concerns about human rights violations, cultural erasure, and the need for international intervention to address the issue. They emphasized the importance of self-determination for the Kashmiri people and urged the international community to take action.
