Kashmiri community holds major protest in London over killings in PoJK

London [UK], September 21 (ANI): Members of the Kashmiri community in the United Kingdom held a protest in London over what the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) described as the reported killing of unarmed civilians, arrests, use of force and enforced disappearances in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to JKJAAC, a large number of Kashmiris travelled from different parts of the UK to participate in the demonstration, with women, children, young people and elderly participants among those present. Protesters gathered near 10 Downing Street, where, according to the JKJAAC, participants raised slogans including “Foreign Forces Go Back,” “Pakistani Forces Go Back,” and “Stop Killing in Kashmir.”
Women and children were also seen carrying placards and banners demanding justice for those reportedly killed during the public rights movement, an end to enforced disappearances, the release and recovery of detained persons, and protection of fundamental human rights, JKJAAC said.
Following the demonstration near Downing Street, participants marched through central London in a rally that concluded at Trafalgar Square. The organisation said the protest was aimed at drawing the attention of the British Government, international human rights organisations and the wider international community to what it described as the deteriorating situation in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
In a statement shared by JKJAAC, protesters said the demonstration was intended to seek justice for affected families and highlight concerns over reported civilian deaths, arrests, detentions and restrictions on communications in the region. The protest comes amid continuing international attention on developments in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
JKJAAC has previously called for international intervention over reported killings, arrests and communications restrictions in the region. The British Government has also expressed concern in recent months over reports of civilian deaths, arrests and communication restrictions in the region, while calling for respect for human rights, restraint and peaceful dialogue. (ANI)