BY; FT Correspondent :
LONDON — A protest was organised outside the Indian High Commission in London on August 15 to observe what organisers described as “Kashmir and Khalistan Black Day” and to express solidarity with Kashmiris and supporters of the Khalistan movement.
The demonstration was organised by Global Pak Kashmir Supreme Council Chairman Raja Sikandar Khan and All Party Kashmir Coordination Committee and Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK President Fahim Kayani, with participation from members of the Sikh community.
British Kashmiris, British Pakistanis and Sikh participants from across the UK attended the protest. The programme began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by addresses by the organisers and other speakers.
Participants carried Kashmir and Khalistan flags and displayed placards calling for an end to violence in Kashmir, the release of political prisoners and independence for Kashmir and Khalistan.
Speakers criticised the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration and called for the right to self-determination for the people of Kashmir. Participants also expressed concern over the imprisonment and sentences of Kashmiri political leaders, including Yasin Malik and Aasiya Andrabi.
The organisers said the protest aimed to draw international attention to the Kashmir issue and highlight solidarity between Kashmiri and Sikh communities in the UK.
Among those attending were Pakistan Khidmat-e-Khalq League Chairman Barrister Mahmood Khan, former AJK Secretary Chaudhry Abdul Hameed, Zafar Ahmed Qureshi, Chaudhry Muhammad Sharif, Chaudhry Muhammad Ramzan, Farukh Qureshi and Sajid Malik. Sikh representatives included Ranjit Singh, Joga Singh, Amrit Singh and Gurcharan Singh.
In his closing remarks, Raja Sikandar Khan thanked the participants for their support and expressed his best wishes for their safe return home.
