- Title: Divided Kashmiri families in Pakistan protest ''atrocities'' in Indian Kashmir
- Date: 18th August 2019
- Summary: MUZAFFARABAD, AZAD, KASHMIR, PAKISTAN (AUGUST 18, 2019) (REUTERS) MEMBERS OF DIVIDED KASHMIRI FAMILIES SITTING WITH SYMBOLIC GAG AND HOLDING PLACARDS WHILE STAGING SIT-IN OUTSIDE MUZAFFARABAD PRESS CLUB/BANNERS ON WALL IN BACKGROUND BOY AND MEN SITTING WITH GAGS OVER THEIR MOUTHS VARIOUS OF GAGGED MEN SITTING GAGGED WOMEN AND CHILDREN SITTING/PLACARDS HELD BY PROTESTERS READING (English) "WE DEMAND MEDICINES, FOOD AND MILK FOR IOK (INDIAN OCCUPIED KASHMIR) CHILDREN" GAGGED CHILDREN HOLDING PLACARD READING (English) "STOP GAGGING MEDIA IN IOK" VARIOUS OF GAGGED PROTESTERS WITH PLACARDS (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) WOMAN PROTESTER, MYRA KHAN, SAYING: "I am from a divided Kashmiri family. All my relatives live there in (Indian) occupied Kashmir. Occupied Kashmir is under curfew for many days. Mosques, pharmacies and shops are locked down and our defenceless brothers and sisters are being tyrannized there." MAN CHANTING (URDU): "THESE MOUNTAINS AND RIVERS WANT?'' PROTESTERS RESPONDING ''FREEDOM" WOMEN CHANTING "INDIA GO, GO BACK" PROTESTERS HOLDING PLACARDS AND CHANTING "WE WILL SNATCH FREEDOM" (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) A PROTEST LEADER, UZAIR GHAZALI, SAYING: "All my relatives are there (in Indian Kashmir). I have no contact with any of them for the last 14 days. All telephones are shut. A big human tragedy seems to be emerging there. People have been under siege and they are subject to brutality. We want to say that the world should come forward and play its role to stop these atrocities there." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING AND CHANTING "FREEDOM" BANNER HELD BY PROTESTERS READING (English) "WAKE UP UN (United Nations), EU (European Union) AND OIC (Organization for Islamic Co-Operation) FOR ENDING LOCKDOWN OF INDIAN OCCUPIED JAMMU KASHMIR" WOMAN PROTESTER CHANTING "WE WILL GET FREEDOM" KARACHI, PAKISTAN (AUGUST 18, 2019) (REUTERS) HUGE FLAG OF AZAD KASHMIR HELD BY PROTESTERS PROTESTERS HOLDING HUGE FLAG AND OTHER PROTESTERS WAVING KASHMIR FLAGS PROTESTERS CHANTING "WE WILL SNATCH FREEDOM" PROTESTERS LISTENING TO SPEECHES PLACARD HELD BY ELDERLY PROTESTER READING (Urdu) "WE SHALL GET FREEDOM" SECOND PLACARD HELD BY PROTESTER READING (English) "STOP BRUTAL KILLING IN KASHMIR" PROTESTERS LISTENING TO SPEECHES PROTEST LEADERS ON STAGE CHANTING (Urdu) "OUR SLOGAN IS THE STRONGEST OF ALL, PLEBISCITE, PLEBISCITE" PROTESTERS CHANTING "KASHMIR WILL BECOME PAKISTAN" HEAD OF PAKISTAN SIKH COUNCIL, KARACHI CHAPTER, SARDAR RAMESH SINGH, DELIVERING SPEECH (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) HEAD OF PAKISTAN SIKH COUNCIL, KARACHI CHAPTER, SARDAR RAMESH SINGH, SAYING: "I, from the Sikh community, demand UNO (United Nations Organisation) and human rights organisations to be compassionate towards Kashmiri people to get them freedom, and the international community should play its role to stop human rights violations in Indian Kashmir." PROTESTERS STANDING
- Embargoed: 1st September 2019 16:56
- Keywords: Pakistan Kashmir India Muzaffarabad lockdown Karachi
- Location: MUZAFFARABAD, AZAD, KASHMIR AND KARACHI, PAKISTAN
- City: MUZAFFARABAD, AZAD, KASHMIR AND KARACHI, PAKISTAN
- Country: Pakistan
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001ASQTR2F
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Kashmiri family members separated from their relatives by India's lockdown on movement and communication staged a sit-in protest on Sunday (August 18) against "atrocities" in Indian Kashmir.
In the Pakistan part of the disputed region men, women and children sat with gagged mouths outside the Muzaffarabad press club demanding India to end its lockdown and the international community to press India to resolve the issue.
Protesters said it had been a fortnight since they had heard from their relatives who live in Indian Kashmir.
In Pakistan's largest city of Karachi, hundreds of protesters took to the streets carrying flags of Azad Kashmir. The protest was joined by members of minority Christian and Sikh community also joined the protest.
Indian authorities reimposed restrictions on movement in major parts of Kashmir's biggest city, Srinagar, on Sunday (August 18) after violent overnight clashes between residents and police in which dozens were injured, two senior officials and eyewitnesses said.
In the past 24 hours, there has been a series of protests against New Delhi's Aug. 5 revocation of the region's autonomy which followed an easing in curbs on movement on Saturday morning.
In the Bemina area of Srinagar, at least a dozen witnesses said police and paramilitary officials had raided several homes on Friday afternoon, picking up at least six men and damaging houses with stones and rods.
(Production: Waheed Kiani, Inran Naseem, Ahtesham Rana, Shajabuddin Shahab) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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