Demonstrators in the UK city say their sit-in will continue until peace is restored and detained activists are released in Azad Kashmir.
BIRMINGHAM — A sit-in protest outside the Pakistan Consulate in Birmingham has entered its consecutive days, with demonstrators rallying in solidarity with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and local rights movements in Azad Kashmir.
The demonstration, which began on June 6, was organized to protest recent government actions and security crackdowns against activists in the region. Participants have vowed to maintain their presence outside the diplomatic mission until normalcy returns to the region and detained figures are released.
"As long as the sit-ins and protests continue in the state and until peace and security are restored, this demonstration will also continue here," said one of the participants.
The protesters have raised slogans demanding the immediate release of prominent local figures, including Shaukat Nawaz Mir, whose detention has become a focal point for the diaspora rights movement. Demonstrators argue that peaceful assembly and the right to raise civic demands should be protected rather than met with arrests and heavy-handed policing.
The protest reflects growing concern among the overseas Kashmiri diaspora regarding the political situation, inflation, and civil liberties in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Organizers said the diaspora will continue to pressure authorities through peaceful mobilization until their demands are addressed by the government in Islamabad.
