KARACHI: Across the metropolis, citizens belonging to all strata of society, as well as government officials and political parties arranged separate events to observe Kashmir Day on Wednesday and express their solidarity with the oppressed people of the held region.

There were a number of police personnel deployed on and around Kashmir Road early on Wednesday morning. Some just stood there and looked smart, some gestured to all vehicles to keep moving in order to clear the road while others asked the many sweepers sweeping the road to hurry and be done with their work before the VIPs arrived.

On one side of the road some men in suits were fussing over a big speaker loaded on a pickup. “Why won’t it pick my Bluetooth?” said one puzzled soul before looking at his phone and the unassuming speaker again. “I downloaded so many national songs including the latest ISPR song about Kashmir in my phone, if only this speaker would pick up my Bluetooth,” he said looking quite helpless.

“Earlier, the Commissioner of Karachi’s office used to have a Kashmir Day rally in each district but now we thought it to be better to have one main rally here. This rally was first planned between Time Medico and the Civic Centre at 12pm. But morning is a better time for such activities as it would get quite hot around noon,” a local official told Dawn.

Officials, political parties and civil society groups hold their separate programmes to back the Kashmiris’ struggle

At the petrol pump on one corner there were several schoolchildren with some quickly-made placards and some Pakistan and Kashmir flags. “We were called here rather urgently,” Nighat Parveen from a DMC East school told Dawn. “Now I am telling the children about Kashmir, a heaven on Earth where the people’s sacrifices are just not ending.”

A couple of young students became emotional after listening to their teachers.

“Kashmir belongs to the people of Kashmir,” said Mohammad Naeem, a student of class seven.

“We will free Kashmir,” said his friend Anas Aslam.

Around 9.30am, the traffic police personnel blew their whistles and sternly ordered all vehicles wanting to join the rally to stay away and park in the lanes. Some decided to just drive off from the starting point to make way for the VIPs and wait at their destination at the Quaid-i-Azam’s mausoleum. Some just left then while a few waited.

The patience of the few people left there was then rewarded as sirens were heard before the many SUVs with flashing red and blue lights with the police mobiles came into view. A handful of motorbikes with their bright lights in broad daylight led the way. Some pillion riders held the Kashmir flag, some the Pakistan flag, some bikers also rode side by side with the pillion riders holding each end of a banner. It was also good to hear the speaker on the pickup come to life. But then one realised that this was just the rehearsal as all made a U-turn to come back with the VIPs.

But real passion needs no planning, no clearing of roads and no rehearsals as was seen in the other Kashmir Day rallies on Wednesday.

CM, governor and mayor

Addressing the rally, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that they would continue to back the Kashmiri people’s right for self-determination. “We will continue to reiterate their demand for plebiscite in the valley,” he said.

Mr Shah said “the butcher of Gujarat” had unleashed genocide in India-held Kashmir and a case of war crimes should be filed against him in the International Court of Justice.

“The butcher of Gujarat should be dragged into the International Court of Justice,” said the CM.

Governor Imran Ismail said that Feb 5 was an important day to remember the sacrifices of the people of Kashmir. “Kashmir has been turned into one of the biggest jails of the world. Injustices in Kashmir have reached their peak,” he said.

Both the governor and CM said that they would highlight the Kashmir cause at every forum.

Separately, Mayor Wasim Akhtar urged the federal government to build up pressure on India for resolving the Kashmir issue with the help of the Muslim world before it was too late.

“The government should take further measures besides merely observing Kashmir Solidarity Day on Feb 5 every year,” he added.

Human chain

Thousands of citizens formed a 20-kilometre-long human chain to express solidarity with the people of India-Held Jammu and Kashmir during the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) rally on Sharea Faisal.

The JI has been observing Kashmir Solidarity Day since 1990. The idea to observe the day on Feb 5 was introduced by the then emir of the JI, the late Qazi Hussain Ahmed.

JI Pakistan chief Senator Sirajul Haq visited various points of the chain on Sharea Faisal, starting from Avari Towers and reaching till Quaidabad. A large number of people, including women and children, from all walks of life participated in the chain.

Speaking to the participants of the activity, the JI chief said that the human chain delivered a message to the global community that in order to avoid a nuclear war in the region and for peace, they would have to force the Indian government to provide the due right to live and the right to self-determination to the people of Kashmir.

“The people are demanding of the United Nations to ensure plebiscite under its own resolutions for the oppressed people in IOK,” he said, adding that the people of occupied-Kashmir had the right to freedom from the unjust occupation of India to join Pakistan.

He said the human chain also depicted the resolve of the Pakistani people that they stood united in solidarity with their Kashmiri brethren against brutalities on the part of the Indian security forces.

Lambasting the ruling regimes in Pakistan over their inability to take appropriate action for the liberation of occupied Kashmir, the JI chief said: “I want to tell the rulers of Pakistan that they have been delivering useless speeches for the last 72 years. It’s time to take practical steps for the freedom of occupied Kashmir. We will have to opt for jihad for the sake of the Kashmiri people and the liberation of Kashmir.”

JI’s Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rahman also demanded that the rulers play their due role instead of delivering speeches.

KU’s tribute to Kashmiris

At the University of Karachi, the administration, faculty members, students and non-teaching staff of the university also walked to demand justice for the innocent people of Kashmir.

“Today’s Kashmir Solidarity Walk shows complete support to the people of India-Occupied Kashmir for their right to self-determination,” said acting Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi.

He said the Kashmiri people in IHK had been suffering atrocities for the last seven decades, particularly for the last six months. “The world should condemn the shameful policies of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and raise voice for the innocent people of IOK,” he said, adding that the teaching community should highlight the history of Kashmir and the struggle of its people as they fought the injustice and cruelty of the Indian forces.

KU registrar Prof Dr Saleem Shahzad and director of HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry Prof Dr Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, all the deans, chairpersons, teachers and researchers of various departments and research centres, officers, employees and students also gathered to express solidarity with the people of India-held Kashmir.

The walk, led by the acting VC, was held from the Administration Building to Azadi Chowk to show support for the people of occupied Kashmir.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2020