Pakistan’s annual effort to portray itself as a defender of the Kashmir cause backfired internationally after Kashmiris and Pakistani dissidents across Europe strongly denounced Islamabad’s so-called “Kashmir Solidarity Day”, branding it a propaganda exercise aimed at concealing decades of violence, repression and demographic manipulation.
From the United Kingdom to Belgium, protesters rejected Pakistan’s narrative, accusing the country of waging a prolonged proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir, suppressing political rights in territories under its control, and spreading disinformation abroad while denying fundamental freedoms at home.
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The most prominent demonstration was held outside the Pakistani Consulate in Bradford, where members of the United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP), along with residents from Jammu and Kashmir, staged a large and vocal protest. Demonstrators described the observance as “fraudulent solidarity” and raised slogans such as “Our State is Ours – Occupation is Unacceptable”, “Stop Land Grabbing” and “End State Terrorism”.
Organisers said that more than 100,000 Kashmiris have lost their lives over the past 78 years due to Pakistan-backed proxy conflict and terrorism, adding that Islamabad’s annual display of sympathy amounts to a mockery of genuine suffering.
Mahmood Ahmed Kashmiri, Chairman of the Jammu Kashmir National Independence Alliance (JKNIA), said Pakistan’s rhetoric was an insult to a people whose national identity and natural resources continue to be systematically eroded. He alleged that Pakistani authorities are exploiting rivers, land and mineral wealth while denying Kashmiris their political agency.
Sardar Tikka Khan Tahir, Central Secretary (Information) of UKPNP, pointed to what he described as blatant violations of State Subject Laws in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, claiming that non-locals are being settled through fake documentation. Despite repeated assurances to local action committees, Pakistani authorities have failed to honour their commitments, he added.
Several leaders, including UKPNP officials from Europe and the UK zones, said Kashmiris do not recognise February 5 as a day of solidarity. Instead, they observe it as a “Day of Betrayal”, recalling Pakistan’s role in forcibly dividing the former princely state.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)
