On September 28, 2025, the usually bustling avenues around the United Nations headquarters in New York took on a different energy as hundreds of Kashmiri Americans and their allies converged for a demonstration that would echo far beyond the city’s borders. They gathered with banners, placards, and an unwavering sense of purpose, determined to broadcast a message of justice and freedom for Kashmir—a message that, despite 78 years of unresolved promises, refuses to be silenced.
The demonstration was timed to coincide with the speech of Dr. S. Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister, at the General Assembly. According to 24 News HD and Kashmir Media Service, the protest was jointly sponsored by Kashmiri American communities from New York and the Washington Metropolitan area. Their banners spelled out clear demands: “Release Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmed Shah, Masarat Aalam, Aasia Andrabi and other political prisoners”; “Hold India accountable for war crimes”; “Stop Demographic terrorism in Kashmir”; “India criminalizes press freedom in Kashmir”; and “End Indian colonization in Kashmir.” The crowd called for the implementation of United Nations resolutions on Kashmir and the withdrawal of Indian troops from the region.
The event was more than a protest—it was a collective outcry against what speakers described as decades of occupation, human rights abuses, and a denied right to self-determination. Dr. Ghulam N. Mir, President of the World Kashmir Awareness Forum, set the tone, declaring that “Kashmir is the largest and the oldest foreign occupation, and India the oldest remaining foreign occupier of the world.” He criticized India’s success in evading the United Nations Charter and Security Council resolutions, which had once mandated a plebiscite to determine Kashmir’s future.
Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Chairman of the World Forum for Peace & Justice, echoed this sentiment, stating, “For seventy-eight years the people of Kashmir have cried for justice, their voices echoing in the halls of the United Nations but never answered. The United Nations was born to defend the oppressed, and today Kashmir is its greatest test.” He emphasized that the world’s powers must recognize that silence and failed talks cannot heal the wounds inflicted on Kashmir.
Throughout the demonstration, a litany of grievances was aired—over 100,000 civilian deaths, more than 10,000 missing or disappeared persons, and thousands of Kashmiri women raped, all attributed to Indian occupation. Sardar Taj Khan, Senior Vice Chairman of Kashmir Mission, USA, thanked Pakistan for defending both its own territory and Kashmir during India’s invasion in April 2025. He underscored the dire situation faced by political prisoners like Mohammad Yasin Malik, whose declining health in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail was cited as emblematic of the broader crisis.
Speakers didn’t mince words about the ongoing militarization of Kashmir. Dr. Imtiaz Khan, a Kashmiri American scholar, noted that India had initially accepted the Security Council’s call for a plebiscite but later reneged, fearing the outcome. He described the psychological and economic toll of militarization, with increasing swathes of Kashmir converted into cantonments, stifling agriculture and local industry.
Raja Mukhtar, National Spokesperson of JKLF, North America, challenged India’s democratic credentials: “India’s claim to be the world’s largest democracy but its actions in Kashmir speak otherwise. Rather than seeking to rectify its human rights record, India has legalized its state-sponsored terror in Kashmir.”
As reported by Kashmir Media Service, the protest’s atmosphere was electric. Slogans like “Modi Killer” reverberated through the crowd, shaking what organizers described as the “global conscience” and challenging New Delhi’s narrative on the world stage. Observers noted that Dr. Jaishankar’s address to the General Assembly seemed “weak and disjointed,” appearing “helpless before the undeniable ground realities in IIOJK.”
Ghazala Habib, Chairperson of Friends of Kashmir International, asserted, “Despite relentless oppression, Kashmiris will never step back from their right to self-determination. This truth has shattered the ugly dream of Akhand Bharat.” Sikh leaders also joined the protest, lending their voices and highlighting a growing international unity against India’s policies in Kashmir.
Protesters and speakers alike called for immediate justice in accordance with United Nations resolutions. They demanded that world leaders intervene to release political prisoners, end the occupation, and uphold the Kashmiri right to self-determination. The protest, as 24 News HD noted, was about more than just Kashmir—it was about the credibility of the international community and its willingness to defend the oppressed.
Rohail Dar, President of Pakistan Muslim League, USA, pointed to the broader implications of the conflict, noting that it has occasioned two wars between Pakistan and India and made the region “the most dangerous nuclear hotspot on the globe.” He credited President Trump for brokering a ceasefire and offering mediation, underscoring the international stakes involved.
Other speakers, such as Khalid Awan of the Pakistan People’s Party, USA, and Raja Razzaq of Pakistan Muslim League, USA, decried the draconian laws enacted by India in Kashmir, which they argued “provide the enabling environment that encourages and even rewards human rights abuses by India’s military and paramilitary forces.” They claimed these laws empower the Indian army to act with impunity.
The protest was also a platform for personal stories and appeals. Ms. Aqsa Ghulam, a college student, implored, “The Secretary General of the United Nations cannot simply stand by and allow India to continue to kill, torture and maim the people of Kashmir in this way. This must not stand.” Amna Habib, a social worker, called on the United States to take a leadership role in resolving the conflict, arguing that “no one else is in a position to resolve the conflict.”
Dr. Amarjit Singh, President of the Khalistan Affairs Center, broadened the appeal, urging the international community to use its diplomatic, moral, and economic leverage with India to fulfill its commitment to both Kashmir and Khalistan.
The demonstration ended with a prayer for the martyrs of Kashmir—a solemn reminder of the human cost of the conflict. Yet, there was also a sense of hope. Young activists like Sardar Sajid Sawar and Ms. Farah Sawar spoke of a new generation taking up the mantle, vowing to carry the struggle for freedom to its “logical conclusion.”
As the crowd dispersed, the message was clear: the struggle for justice in Kashmir continues, and its advocates—across generations and continents—remain resolute. The world, they insist, cannot afford to look away any longer.
