The march begun from the Governor’s House and culminated at the same point after passing through the Fort Road. The participants carried placards and banners inscribed with slogans in support of the struggle of the Kashmiris.
Two representatives of the All Parties Hurriyet Conference, Daud Khan Yousafzai and Dr Abdul Aala, elected representatives from the province as well as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, elite of the city, tribal elders, social and political workers and government officials participated in the march.
Officials said the main roads in the cantonment had been blocked with barbed wires. “We have strict orders and cannot let anyone drive or walk on the road,” a policeman told pedestrians.
Contingents of police with protective gear had been deployed along the roads and main chowks, who barred people from walking through the cantonment, where barricades already existed to restrict movement of rickshaws and cars without stickers issued by the station headquarters.
PML-N: The provincial chief of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Sahibzada Pir Sabir Shah, speaking at a rally at Qissakhawani Bazaar, said the party would not allow the government to withdraw from the country’s genuine and legal stand over Kashmir. The leaders criticised what they termed the government’s U-turn on the issue.
Mr Shah urged people to support the PML-N and other ideological forces whenever they gave a call for agitation against the government. He said India had occupied Kashmir through a conspiracy in contravention of the will of the region’s people.
He said the government had decided to withdraw from the principled national stand after thousands of youth had been martyred for the cause of liberating Kashmiri Muslims from the Indian occupation.
APP adds: Talking to newsmen, the NWFP governor said the government wanted to resolve the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspiration of people of the region. He said observance of Kashmir Day by the whole nation reflected people’s support to the Kashmir cause.
The chief minister said settlement of the Kashmir issue was vital for peace in the whole region. He expressed full support for the struggle launched by the Kashmiris. The city government and the All Kashmir Muslim Conference also held a walk from Milad Chowk to Government City School No.1. Students joined the walk at the school and chanted slogans in support of the Kashmiris.
CHITRAL: A march was held from Chew Bridge to the Polo Ground in Chital by the district government and political parties.District Nazim Haji Maghfirat Shah and leaders of the PML-N, Awami National Party, Jamaat-i-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, People’s Party Parlaimentarians and the PML attended the march to express solidarity with the Kashmiris.