Thousands of people, many waving Pakistani and Kashmiri flags, protested outside the Indian High Commission in London on Thursday in support of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
India's decision to revoke special status for the portion of Kashmir it occupies, along with a communications blackout and curbs on movement, caused fury in Pakistan, which cut trade and transport links and expelled India's envoy in retaliation.
In London, protesters carried banners saying “Kashmir is Burning”, “Free Kashmir” and “Modi: Make Tea Not War”, according to a Reuters reporter.
Police were keeping a small counter-demonstration apart from the main protest.
Ahead of the scheduled time for 1pm (London time), hundreds had already gathered on the right side of the building. Pro-Pakistan activists from London made speeches calling out Indian aggression and demanding freedom for Kashmir.
Activists and speakers from local Kashmir councils also spoke out, demanding that India end the occupation of Kashmir. Furthermore, a sizeable number of Sikh supporters holding Khalistan banners have lent their support to Pakistan.On the other side, Indian supporters chanted pro India slogans.
Former British MP George Galloway also took the podium to speak on the occasion.
"Modi has taken the world to the brink of war — nuclear war — and as a result risked the safety and security of people all over the world," he said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered an Independence Day speech on Thursday that spotlighted his decision to remove the special rights of Kashmir among the bold moves of his second term.
Many of the London protesters had come to the capital from other English cities on specially chartered buses.
“We want to show our solidarity with our Kashmiri brothers,” said Amin Tahir, a British pensioner of Kashmiri origin who came from Birmingham on one of the coaches.
“Since 1947 Kashmir has been struggling to be free from India. Now Modi has changed the law by force to stop Kashmir's autonomy,” he said.
A large group of protesters comprising Pakistanis and Kashmiris marched towards the Indian Embassy on Thursday in protest of India’s aggression against the Indian-occupied Kashmir.
As a report by local daily revealed that a sense of hostility took over amid protests when individuals heading towards the Indian Embassy for the Independence event expressed displeasure at the demonstration for Kashmir’s liberation.
As the Pakistani diaspora community marched for the rights of Kashmiris, observing August 15, the Independence Day of India as a Black Day globally, slogans and chants against Indian premier Narendra Modi echoed through the streets.
Amid demonstrations, Kashmir Council of Indian-occupied Kashmir chief Ali Raza Syed expressed his condemnation over the Modi-led Indian government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 and 35A.
Apart from Pakistanis and Kashmiris, the protests also gained support from multiple people waving the Bangladesh flag were also seen as part of the crowd voicing their support for the oppressed Kashmiris.
