Thousands of
schoolchildren, accompanied by sizeable number of adults, staged rallies and
demonstrations across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Wednesday to condemn
unceasing Indian atrocities on innocent people of held Kashmir, particularly
the recent crackdowns on educational institutions, and show solidarity with the
victims.
Drawn from
state-run institutions, the students paraded through the streets in almost all
major cities and towns, holding banners and placards, inscribed with a variety
of slogans calling for an end to the state sponsored terrorism in held Kashmir
as well as intervention of the United Nations (UN) and international community
for an early solution to the lingering dispute, in accordance with the wishes
of Kashmiri people.
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| Students gather at Burhan Wani Chowk for solidarity show |
In state
capital Muzaffarabad, the protesting students first gathered at Burhan Wani
Chowk near Press Club, where they were briefly addressed by AJK Prime Minister
Raja Farooq Haider, Minister for Education Barrister Iftikhar Gillani, renowned
Kashmiri activists Uzair Ghazali and Mushtaqul Islam and some representatives
of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC).
Some of the students were holding black flags while
some were carrying national flags of Pakistan and AJK, which they kept on
waiving throughout the demonstration.
After the
speeches were over, the gathering, led by the AJK premier, marched towards the
office of the UN Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) near
Domel, where a protest note was delivered to the UN observers.
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| Young girls enthusiastically chant anti India slogans |
All along the
march, participants kept on chanting slogans: “Hai haq hamara azadi, hum cheen k lain gay azadi (freedom is our
right and we will snatch it).”
Speaking to
correspondents on the occasion, young boys and girls said they were deeply
impressed and inspired by the outstanding gallantry of Kashmiri youth while
challenging a ferocious army equipped with lethal weapons.
“Our hearts go
out to our brothers and sisters in occupied Kashmir who have been braving the
worst ever repression of modern history at the hands of brute Indian forces… I
pay salute to their heroism,” said Tayyiba Batool a tenth grade student.
“The Pharaoh
and Nimrod also considered themselves the mightiest but eventually they were
devastated by the Allah Almighty, and same will happen to their likes in
today’s world,” she added in an attempt to give solace to the oppressed
Kashmiris.
Many also
lamented the silence of the UN and said it was high time the World Body played
its long-overdue role in resolving the longest pending issue on its agenda to justify
its creation and existence.
“As a result
of the unrelenting repression by Indian troops, the calamitous situation in the
held Valley warrants for immediate action by the UN. And if the UN does not
rise to the occasion, there is no point of having such a toothless and worthless
organization,” said Daniyal Mumtaz, wearing traditional Boy Scout uniform.
He said the
demonstrations were a message that notwithstanding the bloody line that
separated Kashmiris from each other, people on this side of the divide were
fully conscious and concerned about the sufferings of their brethren in held
Kashmir.
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| AJK premier leads the rally towards UN office |
Responding to
question by some media persons, PM Haider called upon Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif to ensure stoppage of atrocities on the Kashmiris as well as their
freedom from Indian yoke, “because it was his responsibility as leader of the
Quaid-e-Azam’s party.”
He said the
Kashmiris wanted a peaceful solution to their problem and would give another chance
to the UN and world community to make it happen.
“Otherwise the
responsibility of further aggravation of situation will not rest on the
Kashmiris,” he said.
Participants
of a similar rally in Rawalakot, led by deputy commissioner Poonch Raja Tahir
Mumtaz, also presented a memorandum to the UN observers in the town.
Similar
rallies were held not only at all district headquarters, but also at many
tehsil headquarters in AJK.
Tariq Naqash
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