MUZAFFARABAD, Jan 9: Around 300 students staged a “Peace March” in the AJK capital on Wednesday, and blamed India and Pakistan for creating “war hysteria” in the region to divert the people’s attention in both the countries from real internal problems.

The march was organized by the National Students Federation (NSF), a hardline organization of the Kashmiri students pleading complete independence of Kashmir from both India and Pakistan. In less than a week, the march was second of its kind in Muzaffarabad. Earlier on Saturday, the student wing of Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front had staged an “anti-war rally.”

The NSF workers started the march from the Govt Postgraduate College for Boys and reached the Old Campus of the AJK University where more of their colleagues joined in, following which they paraded through the main road of the capital up to the Central Press Club.

The marchers, holding a big flag of Azad Kashmir and several red flags of the organization, were shouting slogans in support of an independent Kashmir.

They also denounced the supporters of Kashmir’s accession to India or Pakistan.

The march concluded at the Central Press Club, where NSF president Shujaat Kazmi, and other leaders including Sajjad Jagwal, Zulfikar Butt and Irfan Khaliq delivered speeches.

“India and Pakistan should withdraw their troops from both parts of the divided Kashmir to facilitate a peaceful and acceptable-to-all solution to the long pending problem,” demanded Mr Kazmi.

He said his group equally blamed New Delhi and Islamabad for the sufferings of the Kashmiris. He urged both the countries to quit Kashmir and let the inhabitants of the troubled state live as a free nation with peace and harmony.

“We also strongly reject accession of Kashmir to any of the two states and oppose its division. The whole of Kashmir that exists over 84,471 square miles should be made an independent and sovereign state,” he said.