Supporters of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) movement picketed the Indian High Commission in Islamabad on Friday in protest at India’s decision to end Kashmir’s special constitutional status.
Speaking before a crowd of thousands, JI’s party chief Siraj ul Haq called for the closure of the Indian High Commission and the destruction of Indian barbed wire fencing along the Line of Control (LoC), a de facto border between Pakistan and India.
“We don’t accept this border, we don’t accept this fencing”, Haq cried. He also called for the closure of India’s embassy in Islamabad, branding them Pakistan’s “enemies” and rejecting US President Donald Trump’s offer of mediation, saying this would “tear the unity of Kashmir into pieces.”
Indian-administered Kashmir has been on lockdown since the Indian government decided on Monday to strip the region of its autonomous status under Article 370 of the constitution.
India and Pakistan have fought two wars over the disputed territory, which remains the scene of frequent tensions.