Tajammul Gurmani:
Manchester:
Kashmir Solidarity Day was observed across the UK. The Kashmiri and Pakistani community organised programmes in this connection. The Consulate General of Pakistan in Manchester also organised an event at My Nawab, Stockport, Manchester. Prominent Kashmiri leaders, Members of Parliament and a large number of British Pakistanis attended the event. The prominent speakers who addressed the occasion included Consul General of Pakistan Imtiaz Feroz Gondal, MP Afzal Khan, MP Debby Abraham, MP Conor Rand, Lord Wajid Khan, Raja Najabat Hussain, Cllr Eamonn O’Brien, Cllr Shoukat Ali, Cllr Syeda Urooj Shah, Cllr Shahbaz Arif, Cllr Faisal Rana, and others.
Addressing the Kashmir Solidarity Day event, Consul General of Pakistan Imtiaz Feroz Gondal said “The Kashmiri people are not alone. Their struggle is our struggle, their pain is our pain, and their dream of freedom is our dream. Pakistan will continue to raise their voice on every platform until the dawn of freedom breaks over the boundaries of Jammu and Kashmir.” He further said that for over seven decades, India has turned Jammu and Kashmir into an open prison, with over 900,000 Indian troops deployed across the region. More than eight million Kashmiris are forced to live in a state of perpetual confinement within their own homeland. Their daily lives are marked by fear, surveillance and systemic oppression. Despite decades of brutal suppression, the spirit of the Kashmiri people remains unbroken. He added that Pakistan will continue its diplomatic efforts, advocating for a peaceful solution of the Kashmir issue.
Lord Wajid Khan said that Kashmir is a very important issue for him. He stated that he was present to show solidarity with the people of Kashmir and said that it is a very important issue for British Kashmiris. He promised to continue efforts in Parliament for the Kashmiri people and praised Consul General Imtiaz Feroz Gondal for organising the event. On his appeal, participants observed a one-minute silence on the occasion.
MP Afzal Khan said that the struggle of the Kashmiri people will not go in vain and that they will celebrate their freedom day very soon. He said that war is not the solution and that India will give the right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir, which he described as the only solution for peace in South Asia. He urged that it is the responsibility of the British government to intervene in the issue and help resolve it, as the world cannot afford a war between Pakistan and India.
