Thousands in Pakistan rally over Kashmir

Kashmir rally, Jamaat-i-Islami

Supporters of Jamaat-i-Islami chant slogans and hold banners during a rally in support for Kashmir's people, in Karachi, February 3, 2011. Photo by AP Photo

MUZAFFARABAD: Thousands of people rallied across Pakistan on Saturday to denounce Indian rule in Kashmir, the disputed Muslim-majority Himalayan state divided between the rivals.

A Pakistani public holiday, Kashmir Solidarity Day, supports the regions right to self-determination in line with UN resolutions that call for a plebiscite in Kashmir on whether it should be ruled by India or Pakistan.

Hundreds of people formed a human chain at the Kohala bridge to the Pakistani-administered part of Kashmir.

Banners and hoardings calling for Kashmirs freedom from Indian rule were put up by main roads and intersections across Pakistan and thousands of people in the country held protest rallies.

Pakistan observed a one-minute silence at 10:00 am as a mark of respect to the more than 47,000 people killed since an insurgency broke out in mainly Muslim Indian-administered Kashmir in 1989.

President Asif Ali Zardari, in a special message on the day, reiterated Pakistans support to Kashmiris struggle for freedom from Indian rule.

I reiterate to our Kashmiri brothers and sisters our pledge that they have our full moral, diplomatic and political support. We shall stand always with them in their just struggle, Zardari said.

Kashmir was s! plit in two in the aftermath of independence on the subcontinent when British rule ended in 1947. Both India and Pakistan claim the entire territory, which is divided by a heavily militarised Line of Control.

India accuses Pakistan of sponsoring an insurgency in Kashmir.

Pakistan denies the claim but has often spoken in support of the fighters.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mubarak pledge to step down dismissed as too slow

Image
The Egyptian Presidents pledge to surrender in September has angered protesters who want an immediate end to his 30-year-rule. Photo by AP CAIRO: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Tuesday he would surrender power in September, angering protesters who want an immediate end to his 30-year-rule. The United States called for the transition of power to begin straight away, stopping short of endorsing Mubaraks plan to stay in office for another six months. What is clear and what I indicated tonight to President Mubarak is my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful and it must begin now, President Barack Obama said after speaking to him by phone. In the streets of Cairo, protesters whose numbers swelled above 1 million across Egypt on Tuesday, many renewed their calls for the 82-year-old leader to quit. We will not leave! He will leave! some chanted. A leading reformist figure, retired diplomat Mohammed ElBaradei, was quoted by CNN calling Mubaraks mov...
Keep reading

Hafeez, Afridi and Akmal highlight in crushing win

Image
Umar Akmal (L) and Misbah-ul-Haq celebrate the wicket of Jamie How. -Photo by AFP CHRISTCHURCH: A maiden century by Mohammad Hafeez and a blistering 65 by Shahid Afridi set up Pakistan for a 43-run win over New Zealand in their one-day cricket international Saturday. The batting heroics, which rescued Pakistan from a disastrous start, were complemented by the fielding exploits of Umar Akmal who featured in three crucial New Zealand dismissals. The result levelled the six-match series at 1-1, with one game washed out and three to play. It was a sharp turnaround in fortunes from the first match, which New Zealand won by nine wickets with more than 32 overs to spare. They showed the hallmarks of that domination in Christchurch when they won the toss, put Pakistan into bat on a green-tinged wicket, and had them two for eight by the fourth over. But from there Pakistan worked their way up to take control, compiling 293-7 in their 50 overs, with Afridi starring in a 126-run charge over the ...
Keep reading

Gagged Al Jazeera a powerful counter to Mideast regimes

Image
Egyptian protesters shout slogans against President Hosni Mubarak's regime at Tahrir Square in Cairo on January 30, 2011. -Photo by AFP DUBAI: Al Jazeera television, banned in Egypt on Sunday, has often angered Arab governments with its coverage of dissent and served as a counterweight to regimes which accuse it of stirring dissent. Egypts official MENA news agency said the outgoing information minister, Anas al-Fikki, ordered Al Jazeeras closure in Cairo after its blanket coverage of anti-government protests sweeping the country. The Doha-based Al Jazeera slammed the move as an attempt at censoring and silencing the voices of the Egyptian people. In this time of deep turmoil and unrest in Egyptian society it is imperative that voices from all sides be heard, the Arab satellite news channel said. On Saturday, it broadcast an appeal from Yusef al-Qaradawi, a popular Egyptian-born television preacher and mentor of Egypts officially banned Muslim Brotherhood, urging President Hosni Mu...
Keep reading