Kashmir forum protests in Colombo

The Colombo-based Kashmir Study Forum on Tuesday organised a demonstration in front of the United Nations office here, demanding an early resolution of the Kashmir issue. The agitation lasted barely 15 minutes shorn of slogans. A small group of protesters, numbering not more than two dozen persons, held placards, in English, Sinhala and Tamil, to highlight, what they called, illegal Indian occupation and human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir. According to them, the day (October 27) marked the “Kashmir Black Day.” A section of them presented a memorandum to the UN office. A three-page memorandum wanted the United Nations Secretary General to take steps for “immediately implementing” the UN resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir. It also alleged that there were “widespread human rights violations” by the Indian security forces in Kashmir. According to a release of the Pakistan High Commission, Pakistani and Sri Lankan community too participated in the agitation. When pointed out that the High Commission had sent a communication by email regarding the protest, Mohamed Jamaludeen, chairman of the Forum and a Sri Lankan citizen, replied that “we are not under them [the Pakistan High Commission]. We have nothing to do with them.” (The Hindu)