A PEACEFUL protest against human rights abuses in Kashmir will take place at Bradford's City Park this weekend, as we mark two years since the revocation of Article 370 and the subsequent lockdown imposed in the region.

The rally will take place on Sunday, from 2.30pm to 5pm, and has been organised as a protest against the "illegal Indian occupation and violation of human rights in Kashmir".

The demonstration is also being held in support of "the Kashmiri people's right to self-determination".

It has been organised by Kashmir Overseas Solidarity Council, whose members include Choudhary Rangzeb, the former Lord Mayor of Bradford.

Mr Rangzeb says "the Kashmiri people continue to be subjugated, continue to suffer human rights abuses and continue to be locked down in their own homes" and has called on the people of Bradford to show their support in Kashmir's "hour of need".

Kashmir is split between India, Pakistan and China, and has seen three wars and a number of border skirmishes since the 1947 Partition of India.

On 5 August 2019, the Indian Government revoked Article 370 - a long-standing agreement which gave Kashmir semi-autonomous status - leading to a lockdown which included media blackouts, the cutting off of phone networks, the banning of public gatherings and mass detentions, while Indian troops have also been accused of sexual violence against civilians.

"Since then", Mr Rangzeb explains, "Kashmir has been in a perpetual lockdown position, with an additional 70,000 Indian troops deployed in the region".

"India has severed all communications, effectively caging in and holding over 14 million Kashmiris as hostages, depriving them of basic necessities, with a 24-hour curfew imposed", he adds.

"This unilateral and unconstitutional action of the Indian Government is in direct violation of UN resolutions and bilateral treaties, and the international community has widely condemned this move.

"The UN Security Council held a consultation and reiterated that Kashmir remains a disputed territory, and the final solution will be through a plebiscite in accordance with the UN resolutions."

The majority of British-Pakistanis in Bradford descend from Azad Kashmir, the south-western part of the region, which is under Pakistani control. As such, the situation in Kashmir is of particular importance to many in the district.

"Bradford has a proud tradition of speaking out against injustice, and we must now demonstrate that we stand with the people of Kashmir in their hour of need", Mr Rangzeb adds.

Councillor Nazam Azam, of the City ward, also said: “Since the actions of the Indian Government a couple of years ago, the international community and the UN seem to have gone quiet on the human rights violations taking place in Kashmir.

“It is high time that this was given priority on the agenda of the UN and the international community. The Kashmiri people have been waiting 70-plus years for their right to a plebiscite, so we have to give them their human right of being able to decide their own future.

“I support Choudhary Rangzeb in terms of his Kashmir solidarity movement – they are doing good work here in Bradford in highlighting the human rights violations and tragedies that are taking place in Kashmir.”