AJK premier to lead protest rally against India in London

Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider. (Photo courtesy: social media)

• The protesters will highlight human rights violations by Indian forces in Indian-administered Kashmir.
• Kashmir witnessed upsurge in violence recently after the killing of eight-year-old Muslim girl, Asifa Bano.

ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Raja Farooq Haider, was leading an anti-India protest today in the UK to coincide with the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The protest has been arranged to bring international attention to the atrocities of Indian forces in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). Other political figures from AJK are also expected to take part in the demonstration in London.
Modi left India for a five-day visit to Sweden and the UK on Tuesday. He was holding talks with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven and attending an India-Nordic Summit in Stockholm. He held meetings with business leaders and explored increasing trade and investment between the two countries.
Modi then flew to London on Wednesday to attend the two-day Commonwealth conference which starts on Thursday.
Despite reports of the Indian administration’s systematic persecution of the people of Kashmir, certain media outlets reported their prime minister as emphasizing that his country shared “democratic values and commitment to an open, inclusive and rule-based global order” with the two host countries in Europe.
Kashmir is partly administered by Pakistan and India, with both countries claiming ownership of the entire territory. The Indian side of Kashmir has been deeply volatile for a long time where people have resisted New Delhi’s brutal military presence.
Kashmir has witnessed an upsurge of violence since the killing of an eight-year-old Muslim girl, Asifa Bano, who had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted.
Protesters in London plan to highlight incidents that have made the lives of ordinary Kashmiris insecure under Indian rule.