Almost all the major markets of the city remained closed and business activity was suspended on Friday in connection with the Kashmir Solidarity day.
Traffic remained light on Lahore’s Mall Road but the road was flooded throughout the day with rallies and marches of different political and religious parties. There were hundreds of banners hanging with electricity polls on the adjacent roads which carried slogans of solidarity with the Kashmiris.
Mushtaq Ali, who runs a pushcart in Urdu Bazar to make a living, told Pakistan Today that the closure of the market would make things difficult for his family. He said that holidays are not kind to people like him who earn daily wages.
The political and religious parties staged rallies on the Mall Road on Friday to demonstrate their allegiance with the Kashmiri people. Federal Minister for Railways Khwaja Saad Rafique led the rally of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in which workers of the party participated and chanted slogans in favour of the Kashmiri people.
Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar of Pakistan Tehriek-e-Insaaf led a rally of his party, while Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Lahore Chapter’s President Samina Khalid Ghurki led the rally of her own Party. A massive march was organised by Jamat-e Islami led by its general secretary Liaqat Baloch and was attended by hundreds of supporters of the party.
Muneeb Ahmad, a shopkeeper from Shah Alam market, told this scribe that he wonders how the Kashmir will be helped by observing a national holiday on February 5. He said that instead of observing the national holiday, everyone should contribute financially to support the oppressed people of Kashmir.
Provincial Amir of Jamat-e-Islami Mian Maqsood Ahmad told Pakistan Today that days like February 5 are symbolic as the nation expresses support and solidarity with the people of Kashmir. He said that a nominal financial sacrifice of one day was not too big a sacrifice to show support for our Kashmiri brothers.
“The Kashmiri people get the much needed moral support when they see hundreds of rallies being organised in their support in Pakistan,” he said. “Everyone must come out to express solidarity with the Kashmiri people,” he said.
The national holiday on February 5 was declared for the first time in 1990 during PPP’s government. The idea for the holiday had been floated by the then Amir of Jamat-e-Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmad. While the day is celebrated at the national and institutional level, most people spend the day as they would any other holiday.
Kashmir is Pakistan. India is violating UN resolutions. Kashmir people should decide their own fate like Scotland.
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