NEW YORK – Kashmiri-American communities from the New York and Washington metropolitan areas staged a large protest outside the United Nations headquarters denouncing Indian Foreign Minister’s address to the UN General Assembly and urging the world body to honour its longstanding commitments and resolutions on the Kashmir dispute. Organized by the World Kashmir Awareness Forum and Kashmiri-American communities in the New York and Washington metropolitan areas, the demonstration at UN Plaza brought together Kashmiri and Pakistani community leaders, women, children and elderly participants, who expressed solidarity with the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Carrying placards and raising slogans in support of the rights and freedom of the Kashmiri people, the protesters gathered under the theme “A Call to the United Nations,” reminding the international organization of what they described as its longstanding commitments to the Kashmiri people and its resolutions on the Kashmir dispute. In a joint statement issued during the protest, the organizers expressed strong concern over the Indian delegation being allowed to address the UN General Assembly, arguing that providing a platform to India despite what they described as its record of human rights violations in Kashmir undermined the suffering of the victims. The protesters called on the United Nations to uphold the principles of justice and human rights and urged the world body to take effective steps rather than allowing, in their words, policies that perpetuate the suffering of the Kashmiri people. The speakers demanded that the United Nations: Ensure the Kashmiri people’s fundamental and legal right to self-determination. Take international notice of what they described as ongoing Indian military abuses and human rights violations in the valley. Ensure implementation of the UN resolutions on Kashmir.
The organizers said Kashmir dispute could only be resolved through a peaceful and just process that respects the rights and aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
At the conclusion of the demonstration, a memorandum was submitted to UN officials, calling for immediate diplomatic intervention by the international community to help secure a peaceful and just resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
