THOUSANDS of protesters carrying placards gathered outside the Indian High Commission in London on Thursday, demanding an end to the Indian government’s brutalities in occupied Kashmir and lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to revoke the disputed territory’s special status.

Although the event was largely peaceful, a police spokesperson said that four arrests were made with connection to the protest and that one person was injured. The identities of those arrested and the injured individual were not ascertained till the filing of this report. However, police said the arrests were made due to possession of an offensive weapon, obstruction of police and a public order offence.

Despite considerable presence of police officials — which the Metropolitan Police described as “appropriate measures” for an event of this nature — anti-Modi protesters from different cities assembled outside the Indian mission and managed to halt traffic for a few blocks on the street across from the Aldwych theatre.

At the corner of the street, a counter-demonstration was being staged by pro-Modi activists with police officials standing resolutely between the rival demonstrators to ensure calm.

An overwhelming majority of the anti-India protesters was of Pakistani origin, with many linked to Azad Jammu and Kashmir and occupied Kashmir. Also present in significant numbers were members of the Sikh community, who shared the mic with Pakistani and Kashmiri activists in calling out the Indian government’s dictatorial tactics in the disputed region and raised their voices for an independence referendum in 2020 for a sovereign Sikh state they call Khalistan.

Sikh participants of demo call for referendum on Khalistan

Manpreet Singh, a member of the World Sikh Parliament, termed the revocation of Article 370 “bizarre” and said it had serious implications for Khalistan. “The people of Kashmir and Punjab should be given a fair chance to decide their future. Modi is an avatar of RSS, whose mission is to create a Hindu nationalist state. Their dream has no place for Sikhs, Dalits and Muslims,” he said.

Several activists from local Kashmir councils and groups made speeches at an informal podium, expressing solidarity with the Kashmiris and calling for an end to Indian aggression in the occupied region.

Pakistan’s cricket mascot ‘Chacha cricket’, too, was among the participants. “I love everyone but I hate Narendra Modi,” he said.

Other notable attendees were cricketer Mohammad Hafeez, singer Attaullah Esakhelvi, former British MP George Galloway, serving Labour MP Shabana Mahmood, MP Liam Byrne and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Sayed Zulfi Bukhari.

Mr Bukhari joined the demonstration after it had gained momentum. “All those countries and people who are silent over the Kashmir atrocities, wake up,” he said. “What are we supposed to do with brotherly counties who cannot even take a stance on this?”

He said: “I am asked by young people how to handle our relations with Indian friends and neighbours. I tell them: we can stand with them if they speak up for Kashmir. We have nothing against the people of India. We are only against the fascist regime of Modi.”

Lubna Ali, a resident of East London, said she was saddened by the Indian government’s recent decision to abolish Article 370. “I am here today because I cannot just sit home and watch as my Kashmiri brothers and sisters suffer,” she said.

While many in the crowd were livestreaming the event on their social media pages, one gentleman was spotted on a video call with an elderly family member, who was unable to make it to the protest but wished to be there virtually.

Naureen Ahmed from Surrey said after Modi’s recent move to isolate Kashmir, she had started to actively challenge her Indian friends on Whatsapp groups. “My Indian friends ask me ‘why are you stressed about Kashmir’. I then show them the true face of the Indian regime through videos coming out of Kashmir, where people are living under oppression.”

Many participants carried ‘Free Kashmir’ posters, with one calling attention to India’s brutalities in the region with a poster that read ‘India is blinding people in Kashmir -- don’t let it blind you’.

Among the youngest attendees was a girl named Noor, a seventh grader from Houston, Texas, who was on holiday in London with her family. “We have come here today to send a message to Indian PM Modi that he has to end the occupation of Kashmir and stop human rights violations against Kashmiri citizens.”

The London demonstration came at the heels of protests this week in cities across Britain such as Birmingham and Manchester, as well as European cities Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.

Black day observed

A black day was observed across Pakistan on Thursday to coincide with India’s independence day celebrations, to condemn the Modi government’s unilateral move to stripe Occupied Kashmir of autonomy and raise voice over continued suppression of the Kashmiri people by Indian security forces.

Under the aegis of various political parties and organisations, rallies were staged in Islamabad and other cities of the country as well in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu Kashmir.

Speakers at the rallies warned India that it could not subjugate the Kashmiris through brute use of force and called on the world community, particularly the United Nations, to intervene and play its role to protect the Kashmiris from India’s state fascism.

Flags on government buildings flew at half-mast. Politicians, including Prime Minister Imran Khan, replaced their social media pictures with black squares.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2019