Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that India’s “fascist tactics” in held Kashmir “to smother the Kashmiri liberation struggle will fail miserably”.
In a series of tweets posted on Friday, the premier warned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that “a nation that does not fear death cannot be stopped from achieving its goal”.
“The fascist, Hindu Supremacist Modi Govt should know that while armies, militants & terrorists can be defeated by superior forces; history tells us that when a nation unites in a freedom struggle & does not fear death, no force can stop it from achieving its goal,” he wrote.
That is why the Hindutva exclusivist creed of the Modi-led Govt with its fascist tactics in IOK will fail miserably in its attempt to smother the Kashmiri liberation struggle.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) August 16, 2019
The prime minister further observed: “That is why the Hindutva exclusivist creed of the Modi-led government with its fascist tactics in IoK will fail miserably in its attempt to smother the Kashmiri liberation struggle.”
‘BLACK DAY’:
To express solidarity with Kashmiris, the Indian Independence Day was observed as ‘Black Day’ across the country and de facto border – Line of Control (LoC) – in occupied Kashmir on Thursday.
On August 14, Pakistan dedicated its Independence Day to the Kashmiris and their just struggle for their right of self-determination. The decision to celebrate Independence Day as “Kashmir Solidarity Day” was made during a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting on August 7.
The black day was observed in protest against the Indian move to abrogate Article 370 of its constitution and strip occupied Kashmir of its special status through a rushed presidential decree on August 5.
National flags flew at half-mast and black flags were hoisted across the country, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), in protest to nefarious Indian designs to destroy regional stability in addition to protest rallies.
Major rallies were organised in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar. The participants of the rallies, carrying Pakistan and Kashmiri flags, vowed to support Kashmiris of the occupied region in their right to self-determination.
In Lahore, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Mashal Mullick, wife of pro-freedom Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik, addressed the rally at Charing Cross, thronged by people from all walks of life.
Over 20,000 Britain based Pakistanis and Kashmiris, waving their respective flags, protested outside the Indian High Commission in London on the eve of Indian independence day in support of the people of the occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Protests outside Indian High Commission in London https://t.co/qzoSTqTTfM
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) August 15, 2019
Protesters carried banners reading “Kashmir is Burning”, “Free Kashmir” and “Modi: Make Tea Not War”, according to a Reuters reporter.
Ahead of the scheduled time for 01:00 PM (GMT+1), hundreds had already gathered on the right side of the building. Pro-Pakistan activists from London made speeches calling out Indian aggression and demanding freedom for Kashmir.
Activists and speakers from local Kashmir councils also spoke out, demanding that India end the occupation of Kashmir. Furthermore, a sizeable number of Sikh supporters holding Khalistan banners lent their support to Pakistan.
Police were keeping a small counter-demonstration apart from the main protest.
“We want to show our solidarity with our Kashmiri brothers,” said Amin Tahir, a British pensioner of Kashmiri origin who came from Birmingham on one of the coaches.
“Since 1947 Kashmir has been struggling to be free from India. Now Modi has changed the law by force to stop Kashmir’s autonomy,” he said.