The Azadi Times | Bradford | British Kashmiris gathered in Bradford to show solidarity with the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) and with the protest sit-in in Rawalakot, Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Participants travelled to the city by coach from several parts of the UK. Representatives of human rights organisations were also present, according to participants.
A digital van was parked at the rally site and played images and video from the Rawalakot sit-in, which demonstrators say has now run for around four months. The footage also showed scenes of violence during protests in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and photographs of people the protesters describe as martyrs. Organisers said the screening was meant to show passers-by and participants what is happening in the region first-hand.
Kashmiri songs and slogans filled the demonstration. Participants carried Kashmiri flags and placards listing the JKJAAC’s demands.
What speakers said
Speakers included Inam-ul-Haq, Liaqat Loon, Ashiq Hussain Firdausi and Mahmood Kashmiri. They briefed the crowd on the latest situation in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and said they stand fully behind the JKJAAC’s struggle. They said the diaspora will keep raising the issue in the UK and internationally until what they call the legitimate demands of the people of Pakistan-administered Kashmir are accepted.
Speakers also argued that Kashmiris living abroad cannot stay silent about what is happening in their homeland. They said they would continue to speak out on human rights, public rights and justice.
Background
The JKJAAC is a civil-society coalition that has led protests in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says talks between the authorities and the JKJAAC broke down on 30 May 2026, and the government banned the group under the AJK Anti-Terrorism Act on 5 June. On 17 July, the UN called for impartial investigations into dozens of reported deaths in Azad Kashmir. The HRCP has also called for an independent probe into reports of deaths in Rawalakot.
The AJK and Pakistani authorities take a different view. Pakistani media have reported that armed JAAC members clashed with security forces, and that security personnel were among the dead. The AJK government has also started sedition proceedings against JAAC leaders. Death toll figures vary widely between the JAAC, officials and media tallies, and no independent inquiry has been completed.
The Bradford rally is part of a wider run of protests by the Kashmiri diaspora in the UK. A separate sit-in outside the Pakistan Consulate in Birmingham has now passed 140 days.
Statements from the AJK government, the JAAC or any organiser can be sent to The Azadi Times newsroom. We will update this report as more information comes in.
