Dozens of people gathered on Aug. 15⁠—Indian Independence Day⁠—to protest the government of India’s decision to revoke Kashmir’s special status on Aug. 5, and what they say is the abusive treatment of Kashmiri people by Indian army forces.

Assad Syed, a first-year communications student at Carleton University who attended the protest, said he is an immigrant from Pakistan but that he has relatives in the Kashmir region.

The protest took place outside the Delta Hotel on Lyon Street. According to Syed, the protest was held outside of the hotel because an event celebrating Indian Independence Day was being held there.

“Long live Kashmir.” – Assad Syed, first-year communications student at Carleton.

“I’m here today because many communities are being violated in Kashmir. They’ve been stripped of their humanity, which Canada struggles to fight for all over the world,” he said.

“It really saddens me to see the Indian government is actually celebrating on this dark day, when instead they should be trying to fight for the freedom of the Kashmiris, which happen to be their own people as well,” he added.

Assad Syed, first-year communications student at Carleton, holding the flag of Azad Kashmir, the Pakistan controlled area of Kashmir. [Photo by Tim Austen]
Kashmir is a disputed region located northwest of India.

The state was partitioned into two areas by the British government after India secured its independence in 1947. One area is controlled by Pakistan to the west–Azad Kashmir–and the other is controlled by India to the east, a region called Jammu and Kashmir.

A map showing the location of Kashmir. [Image courtesy of Wikimedia]
The border between the two countries has been a source of tension between the two countries, and the site of several instances of violence and conflict since Kashmir was partitioned. Kashmir is a predominantly Islamic region, whilst India is predominantly Hindu.

Most recently, tensions have increased because Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked a constitutional provision which granted the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir special status.

Previously, Indian Kashmir had a certain level of autonomy in appointing its leaders and its governance. Now, India will take control of the region and will be able to appoint its own leader in the region without consulting the local government officials.

Some of the demonstrators at the Kashimir protest last week. [Photo by Tim Austen]
Protesting was a family affair for some. [Photo by Tim Austen]
Inside the scrum of the protest [Photo by Tim Austen]
“I feel like I can’t do anything from Canada. But I feel like through protesting, we can get our voice out to the whole world,” Syed said.

“We just really want our voice to be heard to show all the injustice that’s been happening in Kashmir.”

Shehbaz Syed, a Pakistani man who attended the protest, said the Kashmir issue is a humanitarian one.

“Any place where human right violations are an issue, we have to stand up and have our own voice,” he said.

—With files from Leila El Shennawy and Tim Austen.

Feature image by Tim Austen.

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