Hundreds of Pakistanis gathered across the country on Thursday, including in Azad Kashmir, to protest against India’s threats of retaliation following a deadly attack on civilians in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on Tuesday.
The demonstrations came after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to “pursue and punish” the perpetrators of Tuesday’s assault in Pahaldam, killing 26 civilians and was the deadliest such attack in the disputed region for over two decades. Modi accused Pakistan of supporting what he described as “cross -border terrorism.”
“If India wants to go to war, you have to come open,” said Ajmal Baloch, a demonstrator in Lahore, near the Main Wagah border crossing, where about 700 people were gathered in a rally arranged by a religious political party.
The protests were partially caused by India’s announcement to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, an agreement critical of managing shared rivers between the two nuclear armed neighbors.
“Water is our right, and God willing, we will regain it, even if it means through war,” said 25-year-old demonstrator Muhammad Owais in Lahore. “We will not return.”
In Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir, marched about 300 protesters with posters with anti-India slogans.
“If India makes the mistake of attacking, Pakistani Kashmiris will fight on the front line,” said Shoukat Javed Mir, a senior leader of Pakistan People’s Party in the region. “We are ready to die for Pakistan.”
In Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, approx. 150 people for a protest to condemn India’s rhetoric and express solidarity with kashmiris.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s National Security Committee (NSC) warned that any attempt from India to block water flow in Pakistan would be treated as an act of war.
The statement followed a high-level NSC meeting on Thursday, which also approved the closure of the Wagah border transition. The measures were announced in response to a series of aggressive steps taken by India.
