New York: Amidst thundershowers, a significant gathering of Kashmiri-Americans and their supporters convened outside the United Nations headquarters, passionately advocating for Kashmir’s freedom from Indian occupation and denouncing the recent local elections in the region as inadequate.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the demonstrators, including women and children, displayed banners with messages such as “NO Election No Selection: UN Resolutions Only Solution” and “Kashmir Election Just a Deception: Plebiscite the Only Solution,” highlighting their demand for a plebiscite as per UN resolutions. The protest aimed to draw international attention to what they perceive as ongoing injustices and human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General of the World Kashmir Awareness Forum (WKAF), critiqued the presence of the Indian delegate at the UN, arguing that the Indian Foreign Minister, Dr. Jaishankar, misrepresented India’s position in Kashmir and that the BJP/RSS-led administration poses a threat to international peace. Dr. Fai emphasized the global community’s role in recognizing the urgency of the Kashmir issue, pointing out the need for active UN involvement to implement long-standing resolutions granting Kashmiris the right to self-determination.
The protest also featured voices from various leaders and activists who expressed a unified stance against the Modi government’s policies in Kashmir, which they claim are aimed at altering the demographic and political landscape of the region to suppress the Kashmiri people’s aspirations for autonomy.
Dr. Pir Ali Shah Bukhari and other speakers at the rally called on the United Nations to take decisive steps towards resolving the conflict, advocating for the rights and voices of the Kashmiri people to be central in any dialogue or negotiation regarding their future.
The demonstration not only served as a platform for expressing solidarity with the people of Kashmir but also as a reminder to the international community of the ongoing struggle in the region, urging world powers to intervene and support a peaceful resolution in line with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.