Demonstration planned in Wakefield over the growing crisis in Kashmir

Fears are growing that war is close to breaking out, and with it a humanitarian crisis, as India revoked the ‘special status’ the disputed region has enjoyed in recent decades.More than 8,000 Indian troops are reported to have been deployed to Kashmir with suggestions that Indian Government is attempting to integrate the Muslim-majority area with the rest of the country.The land, has been hotly disputed between India and Pakistan for more than seven decades, since the nations gained independence from the British Empire, and the latest move could spark conflict between the pair.The Wakefield Friends of Kashmir is organising a ‘Kashmir Solidarity Demonstration’ this Saturday , August 31, at 1pm on Wakefield Cathedral’s steps.And a motion is also being proposed by Wakefield councillor, Kevin Swift (pictured), to offer to support the campaign by Wakefield’s south Asian communities who are raising awareness of the crisis. Coun Swift said: “The situation in Kashmir is the unresolved legacy of partition at the end of the (British) Empire seventy years ago, done in total disregard of the wishes of the predominantly Muslim population. It has now been brought to crisis level.”The issue will be discussed at Wakefield Council’s monthly meeting on Wednesday, September 4.