SRINAGAR: Hundreds of Kashmiris protesting against Indian rule in occupied Kashmir clashed with government forces shortly after Friday prayers.

Holding aloft Pakistani flags, they chanted slogans like “we want freedom”.

They also threw rocks at police and paramilitary personnel who responded by firing tear gas, police said.

No one was immediately reported injured in the clashes.

The protest coincided with the observance in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir of the Kashmir Solidarity Day, which is observed on Feb 5 every year to support the Kash­miris’ right to self-determination.

The UN Security Council Resolution 47, adopted in 1948, called for a vote among residents of Kashmir to determine the disputed Himalayan region’s fate. But the resolution has never been implemented.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2016