Kashmiris demonstrate in New York to protest Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir

UNITED NATIONS, July 18 (APP): Raising vociferous anti-India slogans and waving placards, hundreds of Kashmiri-Americans Sunday staged a demonstration in front of the Indian Missions to the United Nations in New York to condemn the killings of their brethren in occupied Kashmir and calling on the U.N. to implements it resolutions on the longstanding dispute. Joining the rally on a hot and humid day were a large number of Sikhs demanding self-determination for the Sikhs in Indian Punjab as well as for the Kashmiri people. Organized by the Kashmir American Council, all Kashmiri parties based in New York and the surrounding areas came together to voice their outrage over the killing of popular Kashmiri youth leader Burhan Wani last week that triggered protests across the occupied state. Resorting to brutal tactics, Indian security forces have killed over 44 Kashmiri civilians and wounding more than 1,500. Curfew has been imposed and 'shoot-at-sight' orders given to the occupation forces to deal with violators. "Kashmiri Lives Matter," "India: Out of Kashmir", "We Want Freedom From India”, Wake Up, Wake Up-- UN", "Kashmir: Nuclear Flashpoint" and "India: End Bloodshed" were some of the placards the protesters were holding. Speakers at the rally strongly condemned the killing spree in the Indian occupied Kashmir, a U.N.-recognized disputed territory, and called on the world powers and the United Nations to use their influence on India to the stop the genocide. They also voiced grave concern over the shut down of media offices in Kashmir and cutting off all communication links with the state, saying it was a grave violation of human rights and freedom of information. Among the speakers were prominent Kashmiri leaders like Ghulam Nabi Fai, Capt (r) Shaheen Butt and Sardar Sawar Khan, a former member of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council. They called on India to vacate its aggression in Kashmir and allow the Kashmiri people to decide their future in order to pave the way for peace and stability in the sub-continent. "There can be no peace in the region without the resolution of Kashmir dispute," Fai said. "The most poignant aspect of the situation is the acute suffering of the whole population caused by indefinite curfews in disregard of normal life as well as detention of the Kashmiri leadership," he said. "This is a situation without precedent in South Asian subcontinent and few parallels in the whole world." Dr. Ghulam Nabi Mir regretted that the Security Council was paying no attention, while Indian soldiers were maiming and massacring people in cities, towns and villages of Kashmir. "The valiant people of Kashmir are doing what they can and what they must- they are taking to the streets in defiance of the barbaric laws of the center and its hand picked puppets in Srinagar". Sanna Naqash, a young Kashmiri American activist from Washington, made a passionate appeal to the world powers to listen to the cries coming from the streets of Kashmir. The hapless people need your help in their hour of need. She said that our blood is boiling with pain and anger but we will have to remain resolute but peaceful." Dr. Imtiaz Khan appealed to the international community to take notice of the fact that Indian security have destroyed at least 50 ambulances and damaged several hospitals and even thrashed the patients with bullet wounds. These cases needed to be reported to international Court of Justice and members of Indian government tried for crimes against humanity. "We demand that doctors without borders and International Red Cross be allowed a free access to occupied Kashmir so that they can mitigate the miseries faced by the people." Sardar Sawar Khan told the crowd that a systematic campaign of terror had been launched against the people of Kashmir. A deliberate targeting of youth with the intent to crush the movement should be of grave concern to leaders of the civilized nations, including the UN. He called for implementing U.N. resolutions on Kashmir, saying their struggle for freedom will not stop until the resolution of decades-old dispute. Captain (r) Shaheen Butt drew attention to reports of the entire population of major towns in the Valley of Kashmir, defying curfews, coming out the streets with the demand for a speedy implementation of the pledge solemnly extended to them by India and Pakistan and the UN. Shaheen Butt said that India has turned Kashmir into a big prison and its people are being held incommunicado. The peaceful demonstration lasted three hours.