Key points
- Kashmiri diaspora stages Day of Solidarity across New York City.
- Kashmiris are not alone, diaspora shows global solidarity.
- International community’s silence enables ongoing human rights violations in Kashmir.
- Trucks display calls for accountability, UN resolutions, and global action.
- Land seizures and militias threaten Kashmir’s social fabric and stability.
- Political resolution, not military, needed to solve Kashmir conflict.
NEW YORK: On February 5, the Day of Solidarity rolled through the most visible and symbolic locations of New York City, including the United Nations headquarters, Times Square, Freedom Tower, Century Tel Park, and areas surrounding foreign UN missions.
World Forum for Peace & Justice Chairman Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai said that the mobile LED trucks — an innovative form of outreach equipped with high-resolution digital screens — deliver messages to an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 people per day, including diplomats, tourists, observers, and ordinary Americans.
Their presence sent a clear and unambiguous message: Kashmiris are not alone. The global Kashmiri diaspora stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of Kashmir.
“The continued silence of the international community on this long-standing dispute is deeply troubling. It appears that India is being given a free hand to inflict grave human rights violations on the people of Kashmir,” Dr Fai added.
A nuclear flashpoint
Dr Fai sees the Kashmir dispute as a conflict with clear potential to escalate into a nuclear confrontation, which is receiving far less attention than its gravity demands. “The consequences of such neglect could be catastrophic, not only for the region, but for global peace and security.”
Rented by the Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum (WKAF), the digital trucks also displayed messages calling for accountability and international responsibility, including: India Involved in Genocide; Kashmiris Demand Plebiscite; Freedom for all: Freedom for Kashmir; India Criminalises Press Freedom in Kashmir; Indian Forces on Killing Spree: Kashmir Need to Be Set Free; Kashmir Facing Existential Threat: United States Needs to Act; Kashmiris Reject Indian Occupation: UN Resolution only Solution; Modi Guilty of Crimes Against Humanity in Kashmir.
Occupied and militarised
World Kashmir Awareness Forum President Ghulam N. Mir said that although first proposed by late Qazi Hussain Ahmed in 1990, Kashmir Solidarity Day has come to be memorialised by Kashmiri and Pakistani people of all political and religious persuasions ever since.
“It is one of many such days we Kashmiris have etched in our memories ever since thousands of Indians invaded, plundered, burnt down and set up shop to steal whatever they wished for the ensuing 79 years.”
Dr Mir added that world’s silence amounts to acquiescence, culpability and tacit support for the ongoing state of terror and tyranny. All we are asking is that people all around the world stand in solidarity with us speak out against the evil India is perpetuating in Kashmir.
Dr Imtiaz Khan, Kashmiri American scholar, said that land seizures by occupation forces continue at a disturbing pace. Thousands of acres have reportedly been taken over, depriving Kashmiris of their property while armed Hindu militias are settled on confiscated lands. These actions threaten the social fabric of the region and further entrench instability.
Dr Imtiaz Khan added that the time for empty statements has passed. India has consistently refused to honour its commitments or engage meaningfully towards a just resolution. The international community must move beyond rhetoric and consider concrete measures, including censure and sanctions, to uphold international law. Failure to act risks this protracted conflict to spiral into a major conflagration with global repercussions.
Raja Mukhtar, chief spokesman of JKLF North America, said that a durable and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute — in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir — is essential for peace in South Asia. Such a settlement would significantly enhance international peace and security.
Sardar Taj Khan, Vice Chairman, Kashmir Mission, USA said that all parties to the conflict — India, Pakistan, and the Kashmiri people — must engage in dialogue with mutual respect. Kashmiris must be recognised as the primary party to the dispute and given the opportunity to decide their future freely, without external pressure. Credible third-party mediation can help bring all stakeholders to the negotiating table.
Advocate Sardar Imtiaz Khan Garalvi, the secretary-general of Kashmir Mission, USA, said that with nearly 900,000 Indian military and paramilitary forces deployed, Kashmir has become one of the most heavily militarised regions in the world. There is no military solution to this conflict. Kashmir is a political issue and must be resolved through political means.
Kashmir American Welfare Association (KAWA) President Sardar Zarif Khan said that the global Kashmiri diaspora has a responsibility to internationalise this issue and educate policymakers — particularly in the United States — about the realities on the ground. World powers must respect the legal status of Kashmir as recognised by the United Nations and act to prevent a crisis that could endanger millions of lives.
