Kashmiris Protest Against Pakistan In UK And US, Chant Slogans Against Asim Munir | News18

[00:00:05]News coming in from uh Kashmir. In fact, uh beg your pardon.

[00:00:10]Uh news is from the United Kingdom, where we hear huge protests have been launched by Kashmiris.

[00:00:19]Large-scale demonstrations by the Kashmiri [music] diaspora across the United Kingdom, United States, as well as several European countries with protesters raising concerns over the situation in POK. Major rallies were held outside the Pakistani High Commission in London, the Pakistani Consulate in Bradford, and at the protest sites in Birmingham, Manchester, and New York. You see Kashmiris coming together and condemning what's happening in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

[00:00:47]Demonstrations carried out uh large-scale with placards, chanted slogans, called for international attention to the alleged human rights violations, and excessive use of force, and arrests, and communication on restrictions in that region.

[00:01:04]Akanksha joining us for more on that.

[00:01:06]Akanksha, POK, give us the latest update. What's the status there? Uh and and simplify for us. What's really happening in POK? And we're seeing uh you know, sentiments now uh across the globe, Kashmiris coming forward asking for basic human rights to be protected across the Well, it's POK, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where Kashmiris from our side also feeling the pain.

[00:01:30]>> Absolutely. And it is all that they are demanding is political representation, economic rights, and perhaps a more liberated life, where it is the Pakistani-occupied Kashmiris actually that are represented in their assembly, and not these federal parties like PPP, PMLN, or Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or even pro-establishment parties like Muslim Conference. More importantly, as you rightly highlighted, there have been consistent protests, not just yesterday, but all of these Pakistan-occupied Kashmiris, in fact, have been gathering outside the Pakistan consulates across Europe, across the United States, and the UK. Where there are chance of "Yeh jo dehshatgardi hai, iske peeche vardi hai." The sentiment is very much against that very Pakistan, the country that used to accuse India of resorting to human rights violations in Kashmir is now being accused of brutality against the very people of Kashmir that it spoke about bringing the Muslim Brotherhood together too. But more importantly, it should be kept in mind, it's also a stark remember to reminder to the international community where Pakistan itself is touting itself or tom-tomming itself as this big messiah for peace, projecting itself as the big mediator in the region. The paradox, the sharp contrast of it hits you in your face when you see those bloodied bodies of over 100 protesters that also includes the police and army personnel who, remember, have died in POJK while protesting. So it is the Awami Action Committee that has, in fact, been demanding that there should be freedom, there should be liberty, their economic and political rights should be granted.

[00:03:14]And yet the international community remains mum. This is also days after, remember, 15 50 MPs in UK's Parliament also wrote and penned that letter to Yvette Cooper asking her to intervene.

[00:03:28]And you have voices now from across the globe calling out for intervention by the international >> able to clarify for us? The visuals that we are seeing are Kashmiris protesting.

[00:03:37]Are they Are they Kashmiris from the Pakistan side of it? Are they Indian Kashmiris? We see Pakistan flags there.

[00:03:45]So clarify for us, who are these protesters across the globe?

[00:03:49]>> it comes to Kashmiriyat, it doesn't matter whether these are Kashmiris from Pakistan occupied Kashmir, whether these are Kashmiris from Indian Kashmir or whether these are Kashmiris from Kashmir in Pakistan. The fact of the matter remains that these are Kashmiris and for them to see any kind of violence or human rights violations that have been taking place in POJK, that in itself has brought all of them together. Many of them are Muslims from Pakistan as well and remember there are voices growing from in fact the opposition within Pakistan where in the assembly Pakistan assembly we've heard leading voices from the park opposition which have been calling out and in fact naming and shaming the Shahbaz Sharif government and Field Marshal Asim Munir. They're saying that these were the very Kashmiris who wanted to join hands with Pakistan and now Pakistan under Shahbaz Sharif has the blood of these innocent Kashmiris on their hands. What can justify this and that such kind of violence and brutality must immediately be brought to a screeching halt. Will this have any kind of an impact on Shahbaz Sharif? Will US intervene because remember the United States calls itself the Messiah of human rights and the UN itself has been a mute spectator.

[00:05:04]It's been reduced to the status of being a toothless tiger. We are not really seeing an active international intervention over here. We all know why Donald Trump is choosing to remain mum.

[00:05:14]He needs Asim Munir. He needs Shahbaz Sharif right now for the mediations that are currently on in West Asia especially on a day when the MOU has been announced but they certainly cannot turn a blind eye to these violations of human rights that have been taking place and the many killings of these innocent Pakistan occupied Kashmiris in POJK.

[00:05:33]>> Right. Well well we're looking at situations tense in POK at this point and of course Kashmiris across India and Pakistan, both sides are enraged and asking and seeking protection for the Kashmiris in POJK who seem to be facing human rights violations at the hands of Pakistan. So, big embarrassment on international stage with the protest groups coming together condemning this park accession. Thanks very much Akanksha for joining us on that. We're going to slip into a short break. News and updates on the other side. Do stay with us.