A group of American and Kashmiri peace activists protested New Delhi’s denial of UN-recognized right to self-determination to the people of Occupied Kashmir and demanded their freedom in a demonstration in front of the Indian embassy.
The rights activists from New York, Chicago and Washington metro area converged on Washington’s Massachusetts Ave with placards and banners that denounced India’s repression of people in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. “Kashmiris Demand Right of Self-Determination,” a banner displayed by the Kashmiri-American Council activists said. Drawing attention to the plight of Kashmiri people, the participants also urged the United States and other members of the international community to help alleviate their decades-long sufferings through resolution of the Kashmir dispute. They also raised slogans and denounced last month’s secret hanging of Afzal Guru, saying Guru was an innocent Kashmiri who was subjected to a politically charged trial. Among the main participants were Muhammad Salim Akhtar of American Muslim Alliance, Tahir Iqbal Khan, President Kashmir Forum Washington, Zareef Khan, Vice President Kashmir Freedom Forum, Dr. Imtiaz Khan, Acting President of Kashmiri-American Council, Shahid Comrade, Secretary General of Pakistan-USA Freedom Forum, Sara Flanders, Director International Action Center and Arshad Umrani, President Balochistan Strategic Forum.
