Kashmiri Americans Protest against Indian Atrocities in New York
New York. July 17, 2016. Hundreds of Kashmiri Americans and friends of Kashmir staged a peaceful protest in front of the Indian Mission to the United Nations to express their anguish over the killing of 47 innocent civilians in Kashmir and injuries to more than 1500.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Ghulam Nabi Mir (Ohio) said, “Once again Indian occupation forces are exacting a heavy price from Kashmiri people for demanding their right to ‘Aazadi, freedom, justice and self-determination. And once again the United Nations and its exclusive club, the Security Council, is watching as a deaf, mute and blind body as Indian soldiers keep maiming and massacring people in cities, towns and villages of Kashmir. With no means to put a stop to the atrocities and to implement the will of the people, 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 handpicked puppets.
“We ask our people to remain steadfast, but peaceful, shun means of violent retaliation even as the state terrorizes the population. We ask the United Nations Security Council to fulfill its obligations by implementing its binding resolutions to persuade India to hold a free and unfettered plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir,” Dr Mir added.
Sanna Naqash, a Kashmiri American youth 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 Ghulam Nabi Fai said, “The situation in Kashmir is deteriorating day by day since July 8th when 22-year-old Burhan Wani was killed by the Indian army. More than 300,000 people including youth and women, attended his funeral. Since then 47 persons including teenagers and women were killed by Indian army. Apart from the magnitude of the violence by the occupation forces, the most poignant aspect of the situation is the acute suffering of the whole population caused by the curfew, disregard of normal life and detention of leadership. This is a situation without precedent in the South Asian subcontinent and few parallels in the whole world. The people of Kashmir urge the UN that they would be allowed to decide their future through an unrigged and un-coerced vote under impartial auspices.”
Sareer Fazili, Esq (New York) said, “We stand in solidarity with the occupied Kashmiris and what they are facing. We stand with the Kashmiris and condemn in the strongest terms the use of pellet guns against Kashmiri children. This barbaric treatment is a violation of the most basic of human rights. The attacks on hospitals, medical and assistant staff, ambulance personnel and patients themselves are further evidence of India's depravity in Kashmir. Indian press estimates of over 300,000 mourners for the funeral of Burhan Wani, the dynamic face of the new Kashmiri generation fighting Indian occupation, is evidence of the sentiment for freedom on the streets of Kashmir.”
Dr Imtiaz Khan (Maryland) said, “We strongly condemn the human rights abuses unleashed by Indian occupation forces on the peace-loving people of Kashmir. I appeal to the international community to take notice of the fact that Indian security forces have destroyed at least 50 ambulances and damaged several hospitals and thrashed the patients treated for bullet wounds. These cases need to be reported to the International Court of Justice and members of the 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. Also, free access for the independent journalists is demanded so that they can record the abuses inflicted on the civilian population.”
Sardar Sawar Khan (New York) said that Kashmir continued to bleed but the UN and the US have not broken the silence. 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 the grave concern of the leadership of the civilized nations, including the UN. He called for implementing the UN resolutions on Kashmir, saying their struggle for freedom will not stop until the resolution of the decades-old dispute.
Shaheen Khalid Butt (New York) wanted to bring to the attention of the UN and the US the reports of the entire population of major towns in the Valley of Kashmir defying curfew, coming out on the streets with the demand for a speedy implementation of the pledge solemnly extended to them by India and Pakistan and the UN. Butt said that India has turned Kashmir into a big prison and its people are being held incommunicado.
Sardar Imtiaz Khan, New Jersey, said that Kashmir was the underlying cause of tension between India and Pakistan. The world powers must impress upon the Government of India to stop human rights violations in Kashmir.
“India Stop Genocide in Kashmir”, “Freedom for all: Freedom for Kashmir”, "Kashmiri Lives Matter," “Time to resolve the Kashmir dispute is now”, "We Want Freedom From India”, Wake Up, Wake Up—UN Wake Up", and "Kashmir: Nuclear Flashpoint" were some of the placards the protesters were holding.
Other persons who spoke on the occasion included: Mr. Rohail Dar, Sardar Zarif Khan, Sardar Zulfiqar Khan, Mr Sarwar Chaudhary, Mr Shabir Gul, Mr Anwar Gujar ICNA, Sardar Imtiaz Garalvi, Sardar Zahid Hussain, Sardar Mahmood, Sufi Muhammad Nazir, Chand Iqbal Doddy, Raja Muhamad Razaq, Khawaja Farooq Ahmed and Sardar Sarbjit Singh.
For more information, please contact Dr Fai on: gnfai2003@yahoo.com
