LAHORE, Feb. 5: Various political and religious parties on Saturday held rallies, public meetings and other events here to show solidarity with Kashmiri people and condemn highhandedness and tyranny to which Indian troops frequently subject those struggling for their freedom.

A major rally in this regard was taken out by Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) which was largely participated by JI workers. The participants urged the government to adopt concrete and effective measures to free Kashmir from India's unlawful occupation.

Former JI chief Qazi Husain Ahmad and Liaquat Baloch in their speeches on the occasion urged the world community and the United Nations to resolve the Kashmir issue according to the aspirations of Kashmiri people.

He warned Kashmir was a potentially volatile issue and even a nuclear war could erupt engulfing the whole world in case the issue was not resolved. He said after Simla Accord, the Kashmir issue had been placed in a coffin but the Kashmiri youth brought it to life again in 1989 by starting a freedom movement.

“Thousands of the Kashmiri people had sacrificed their lives for this cause,” he said, adding that no power could crush a nation that was awakened.

The JI Secretary General Liaquat Baloch, while addressing the rally, said present rulers had failed to revive the principled policy on Kashmir after Pervez Musharraf's U-turn on the issue. “We demand the ongoing policy must be abandoned and the previous Kashmir policy should be revived,” he said.

Baloch said India had placed world peace under threat while the US and the western nations were supporting India wrongly. India was also striving for a permanent seat in the UN without feeling ashamed of its denial of rights to some 12 million Kashmiris.

Likewise, the organisations including Ahl-e-Hadith Youth Force (AYF), Tehrik Minahaj-ul-Quran, Jamiat-e-Ulma Pakistan (JUP), Kashmir centre, Sunni Tehrik, Khaksar Tehrik and others also took out protest rallies and demonstrations in various parts of the metropolis.

The speakers on these occasions demanded Indian government should end violence in occupied Kashmir otherwise it would have to pay a heavy price for these brutalities. On the other hand, the PML-N, PPP, Tehrik-e-Insaf, All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) also held seminars, rallies and meetings on Kashmir Day.

At a ceremony held at Alhamra the PML-N leaders including Khawaja Saad Rafique, Mehr Ishtiaq, Yasin Sohal, Pervaiz Malik, Ajasam Sharif, Khawakja Imran Nazir, Mian Marghoob, Mian Naseer and others said PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif was the only leader having the ability to get the Kashmir issue resolved as per aspirations of Kashmiri people.

Holding placards, banners and flags the protesters also burnt used tyres during rallies and protests. The Lahore police had made extra-ordinary security arrangements to deal with any untoward event. The police officials had been deputed along the rallies' routes and on rooftops of various buildings.

Similarly traffic police chalked out a special plan for various city roads and disallowed any sort of traffic on The Mall.

The Pakistan People's Party held a seminar at Alhamra on Saturday to mark Kashmir Day.

PPP Punjab secretary general Samiullah Khan, deputy secretary general Usman Malik, Lahore president Samina Ghurki spoke on the occasion and condemned the Indian army for committing atrocities against Kashmiri people.

They demanded the issue be resolved through UN resolutions. They also urged the Indian government to take Kashmiri leaders into confidence for peaceful resolution of the issue.

Earlier, Lahore PPP women wing president Faiza Malik said the government had a principled stand on Kashmir.

She said the PPP government supported the Kashmir freedom movement and wanted the issue be resolved as per will of Kashmiri people.

Ms Malik said former dictator Pervez Musharraf damaged the Kashmir cause instead of resolving the issue. “The nation will never forgive Musharraf for taking U-turn on Kashmir,” she said.