MUZAFFARABAD: Rallies and demonstrations were held in different parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Thursday to condemn bloodletting in India-held Kashmir as well as “criminal silence” of the international community towards the human rights violations.

In Rawalakot, civil society activists, mostly students, took out a big procession to express solidarity with the Kashmiris braving Indian repression.

The unique aspect of the procession that paraded through different streets amid playing of Kashmiri national songs was that most participants carried AJK’s flag.

Syed Ali Geelani, a senior leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, addressed the rally by telephone from Srinagar.

He said that entire Kashmiri nation, particularly the younger generation, was determined to overthrow India’s illegal rule at all costs.

He thanked the people of Rawalakot for expressing solidarity with their brethren living under India’s occupation.

A spokesman for Yasin Malik, the Srinagar-based chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, read out his message to the participants by telephone.

He said that Mr Malik, Mr Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and other pro-freedom leaders were united and that’s why they were put under detention every now and then.

Organiser Kashif Mir also spoke.

A similar rally was organised in the town of Dhirkot in Bagh district.

In Muzaffarabad, Syed Salahuddin, chief of the United Jihad Council, said that if the United Nations and the international community failed to take stock of the situation in India-held Kashmir, Kashmiris could consider trampling the Line of Control.

“Kashmir has been in the grip of curfew for the past 34 days, with the number of deceased persons nearing 80 and that of the injured exceeding 6,500. Even food and milk for children have become scarce, but the UN and international community have adopted criminal silence,” he said at the rally outside the press club.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2016