Bradford [UK] September 10 : Mahmood Kashmiri, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir National Independence Alliance (JKNIA), along with other Kashmiri diaspora leaders, led a protest outside the Pakistani Consulate in Bradford, slamming Pakistan’s security forces of committing widespread abuses in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and demanding an immediate end to what he described as a campaign of repression.
Addressing protesters outside the consulate, Kashmiri stated that the demonstration was being held in solidarity with people in PoJK amid a threatened shutdown across PoJK and other areas. He alleged that security forces were responsible for killings, kidnappings and other abuses against civilians across the region.
“We have repeatedly told the government of Pakistan to end the atrocities in the region,” Kashmiri said, claiming that protesters had been demonstrating outside the Pakistani Consulate from Monday to Friday for the past three months.
He said the campaign would continue for as long as necessary, potentially for another year or two, and announced that protesters had brought a memorandum for submission to Pakistani officials. He said the delegation also sought a verbal discussion with consulate representatives so it could communicate its concerns more widely through social media.
He accused Pakistan’s authorities and senior security officials of being responsible for abuses in PoJK and alleged that several people had been abducted.
He also raised the case of Abdul Shahid, whose sister attended the demonstration. He alleged that Shahid had been killed by Pakistani security forces in PoJK.
He called for those responsible for alleged killings and disappearances to be brought before the “line of justice.” He further demanded that Pakistan withdraw its forces from PoJK and comply with agreements concerning the region.
“The Kashmiris will not surrender,” he said, warning that the protest movement would continue until what he described as violations by Pakistani forces were addressed.