LONDON – Kashmiris from across Europe will hold a protest demonstration on October 27 at Berlin Wall to mark the 70th anniversary of deployment of Indian forces in occupied Kashmir.
After the Partition in 1947, Indian troops landed in disputed Kashmir on October 27, occupying a large part of the Muslim-majority state which wanted accession to the newly formed Pakistan. A flash-point between two nuclear-armed neighbours, the conflict remains one of the oldest pending issues in the United Nations.
The protest, tagged as “Kashmir’s million march” will be led by former prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) AJK chapter president Barrister Sultan Mehmood.
Mehmood has organised three consecutive marches in London, New York and Brussels since 2014. Speaking to media on Berlin’s selection as the fourth venue, the ex-AJK premier said it was selected to express the will of people on both sides of Kashmir that one day they will demolish the Line of Control (LoC) separating them for decades.
“This is our rehearsal to demolish the LoC on the same pattern as people of East and West Germany did by demolishing Berlin Wall” said Mehmood.
Protesters will present a memorandum to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, urging the European Union to help resolve the issue.