ISLAMABAD – Kashmiri students studying in Bangladesh held a demonstration at Dhaka University against revocation by the Indian government of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, approximately 400 Kashmiri students in Bangladesh, from several educational institutions, especially medical colleges, staged a demonstration at the Dhaka University campus expressing concern over the prevailing grim situation in occupied Kashmir.
The protesting Kashmiri students started gathering near the university’s Registrar building and took out a procession, marching through the Mall Chattar, Oporajeyo Bangla, and TSC intersections, before holding a rally in front of the Central Shaheed Minar.
Chanted slogans and carrying banners and placards with slogans “We Want Freedom”, “Free Our Land” and “India – Stop Oppression in Kashmir”, the protesting students demanded immediate restoration of internet, landline, and mobile networks in occupied Kashmir.
Notably, a number of female students wearing medical aprons were also protesting.
One of the protesters, Mohammad Nawaz, said, “We are protesting for the article which has been taken away from us. We have no information regarding our families, whether they are dead or alive. We have literally no communication (with them). We’ve gone back to the medieval period.”
Questioning the role of the UN, he said, “We want to know whether the UN is an organization on paper only, or it acts against oppression across the world.”
Fearing they may have to face financial hardship due to the communication disruption with their families, he said, “We might face tough times ahead since most of us will become bankrupt.”
Urging Bangladeshi people to stand beside them, Mohammad Nawaz said, “We will be grateful if they help us in any manner. Maybe the situation will deteriorate further and we don’t know how long it will take for Kashmir to return to normal.”
