Kashmir Solidarity Day was observed on Sunday across the country to acknowledge the ongoing struggles of the Kashmiri people for their rights.
In provincial capital Lahore, different political and religious parties, organisations, and civil rights activists conducted mass rallies, peace walks, seminars, and conventions to draw the international community’s attention toward the Kashmir issue.
Charring Cross and the Lahore Press Club remained the centre points for the rallies while meetings and conventions were also held at different venues in the city.
One minute of silence was observed at 10 AM in solidarity with the Kashmiri struggle.
Jamaat-e-Islami Chief Siraj Haq led a large procession on Mall Road where he condemned the Indian occupation in Kashmir and paid tribute to those who were killed in the valley.
He said that the Kashmiri struggle was not a struggle for roti, kapra, makan, or economic freedom. “It is an ideological war and nobody can defeat it,” he said.
“The Kashmir movement is different from the war in Afghanistan and Palestine, as it is a continuation of the Pakistan movement,” he said adding that the Kashmiris had done their duty and it was for Pakistan to speed up this movement and carry it to its logical end.
Siraj criticised the government’s Kashmir policy and said the rulers were betraying the Kashmiris for the sake of friendship with India.
PML-N conducted a convention at Charring Cross which was attended by a large number of workers along with several prominent leaders and was led by Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique. Addressing the participants, Khawaja Saad Rafique said that Kashmir was an integral part of Pakistan, and stressed that the issue must be resolved according to the United Nation resolutions.
Lahore Mayor Mubashir Javed while addressing a convention expressed his immense love for the people of Kashmir. He said that the people of Kashmir were like our brothers and sister and have a right to life just as much as anybody else. He demanded that the authorities take strict action against the human rights violations in Kashmir.
An event was organised by the Nazaria-e-Pakistan Trust to observe Kashmir day where Auqaf Minister Zaeem Qadri and Muslim League-N Azad Kashmir President Ghulam Abbas Mir were present as chief guests. The speakers said that India was wronging the innocents of Indian Occupied Kashmir and that they would raise their voices on every platform. They also expressed their hope that Indian Occupied Kashmir will be a part of Pakistan one day.
Tehreek-e-Azadi Kashmir’s conference was also held at Mall Road with Shah Zain Bugti of the Jamhuri Wattan Party also among the participants. Shah Zain Bugti said that the people of Balochistan would always stand with the Kashmiri people.
