On the eve of the grim anniversary of the enforced loss of Indian-administered Kashmir’s autonomy, messages in support of the suffering Kashmiri people lit up on New York’s iconic Times Square.
Since August 5, 2019, New Delhi has kept Kashmir in a virtual state of shutdown, and after stripping the disputed region of its autonomy unilaterally made it part of the Indian Union in October last year.
The decisions last year led to international condemnations of the move to subject the only Muslim-majority part under Indian control to a heavy military-enforced lockdown and deprived the eight million people of their basic rights.
On Monday, some screens on the towering Times Square – a major point of publicizing causes – read Kashmir Siege Day” were “Kashmiri Lives Matter” and “Kashmiris Want Freedom.”
Ampackers.com paid for the messages as part of a public outreach campaign to highlight Kashmiri people’s struggle for self-determination.
