Thousands of protesters gathered in London’s Parliament Square to demand the end of the Indian occupation of Kashmir.
The protesters, a large number of whom were of Kashmiri or Pakistani origins seemed infuriated at the curfew and the media and communications blackout imposed on the valley.
The rally started from Parliament Square and headed towards the Indian High Commission where slogans such as “End to Occupation” and “Kashmiris demand justice” could be heard all over; as protesters complained that international organizations and human rights groups were not doing enough to ensure the rights of the Kashmiri people.
The march was organised by a Kashmir support group based in the United Kingdom.
A few days before the Indian High Commissioner in London had expressed reservations over the remarks of Labor Party leader, Tom Watson who had termed the situation in Kashmir as a “humanitarian crisis”.
Deputy leader of the Labor Party, Watson had noted that people in occupied Kashmir “do not get medical supplies” and how “there’s no food or water or basic provisions”.
He had said: “I’ve never seen more worry on your faces than I’ve seen in the last 25 days. You’re worried about your loved ones that you can’t communicate with.”
Watson also urged the international community to take note of the “Conditions of the Kashmiri people.”
“That is a responsibility for all of us in the international community,” he said.