Washington Rally Demands Freedom for All Kashmiri Political Prisoners
Washington: Members of the Kashmiri-American community in Washington, DC, along with their supporters from other US states and Canada, staged a protest rally in front of the Indian embassy, demanding freedom for all Kashmiri political prisoners, including Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Masarat Aalam and Aasia Andrabi, who have been “unjustly imprisoned for years”.
Sardar Zarif Khan, Advisor to the President of Azad Kashmir and main organizer of the rally, called on India to release the incarcerated leaders in the name of humanity.
The protestors waved banners, placards and shouted slogans, “Supreme Court Decision is a Delusion: Kashmir Needs a Resolution;” “India – Release all political prisoners unconditionally;” “Release the Legend and Prominent Kashmiri Political Prisoner: Yasin Malik;” “Release Shabir Ahmed Shah: Amnesty Calls Him Prisoner of Conscience;” “Release Masarat Aalam: Victim of Arbitrary Detention;” Release Aasia Andrabi: Wrongfully Imprisoned.” “Indian Democracy Dead in Kashmir;” and “No justice: No Peace.”
An appeal from Razia Sultan, daughter of prominent Kashmiri freedom fighter Mohammad Yasin Malik, called for urgent international action to save the life of her father, who, she said, had sacrificed everything throughout his life for the cause of Kashmir. “I love my father deeply. I have not seen him for seven years, nor have I spoken to him for the past six years,” she said.
Dr Ghulam N. Mir, President, World Kashmir Awareness Forum and Executive Producer of ‘Saffron Kingdom’, a Kashmir film, said that successive Indian regimes continue to hold Kashmiri prisoners under draconian laws for decades without due process. Dr Mir added that the entirety of Indian Occupied Kashmir has been designated as a vast open-air prison by a European Parliamentary delegation.
Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, Chairman of the World Forum for Peace and Justice, said that a trial court has sentenced Yasin Malik to life imprisonment on May 24, 2022. Now, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is seeking enhancement of the sentence to death penalty. “We all know that the case of Yasin Malik is not a legal but a political one,” he said.
“Yasin Sahib — imprisoned, enduring hardships, has sacrificed everything for the cause of Kashmir,” Dr Fai said. “His struggle demands our remembrance, our gratitude, our unwavering resolve and at least our togetherness at a rally for his release be it Washington, New York, Dallas, Houston, Paris, London, Oslo, Brussels, Barcelona and Copenhagen.”
Dr Imtiaz Khan, Kashmiri American scholar, said that Yasin Malik is not a run of the mill politician, but a revolutionary leader who has the flame of freedom burning in his heart.
By trying to eliminate peace-loving leaders like Yasin Malik, the Indian regime is closing any avenues of peace in the region and pushing the youth of Kashmir towards actions that can be detrimental to the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir conflict.
Mowahid Hussain Shah, attorney-at-law, author, and Member of the District of Columbia and US Supreme Court Bars, speaking at the site of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in front of the Indian Embassy, lauded the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi in struggling against racial injustice and oppression in South Africa for 21 years. Mowahid stated that he had visited Birla House in Delhi, where Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948, by Nathuram Godse who, at that time, was a member of the RSS which, by common scholarly consensus, is a hate group that incites violence against Muslims and minorities.
Mowahid made it a point to welcome Rhonda Hamilton, DC mayoral candidate, as well as her campaign manager, Beatrice Evans. Mowahid cited the legacy of Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. He connected Ali’s never-quit attitude with the indomitability of Yasin Malik, with whom, Mowahid emphasized, he was honored to share a panel on Capitol Hill on July 20, 2006.
Mowahid also said that it is important to connect with the power of civil society, which was at its most effective during the anti-apartheid movement that led to the release of Nelson Mandela and the dismantling of apartheid. He also alluded to Bhagat Singh, who was hanged by the British on March 23, 1931, for resisting British colonial hegemony.
Mowahid said it was important to connect with important segments of Indian civil society who are ashamed and deeply apprehensive of what Modi is doing to India. He reiterated the “power of 1”, reminding how a young girl, Darnella Frazier, recorded the murder of George Floyd, providing evidence that led to the conviction of several police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Yasin Malik, he stated, stands tall and unafraid and, most importantly, he remains undefeated, in the cause of Kashmir. Mowahid recalled the example of his dervish father, Col Amjad Hussain Sayed, who, on his deathbed, gave the parting advice to always speak Kalma-e-Haq. Mowahid said that all well-wishers of humanity and proponents of fairness in Kashmir, and advocating for the release of Yasin Malik, should not be bashful in speaking out loud and clear.
Mowahid’s remarks were particularly appreciated by Rhonda Hamilton and her entourage, who said they found them particularly inspirational. Mowahid also quoted the struggles raised by Malcolm X, who was not afraid to speak truth to power.
Sardar Shoaib Irshad, General Secretary of the Kashmir American Welfare Association (KAWA) and co-organizer of the rally, told the gathering that the Delhi High Court on August 11, 2025, sought the response of Yasin Malik on a plea filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) seeking death penalty for him. The new hearing will be held on November 10, 2025, when the jail authorities will produce Yasin Malik before the court.
Sardar Mehmood Iqbal, Advisor to the President of Azad Kashmir; Hafiz Habibullah, a religious scholar; Zia ul Hassan, a prominent community leader; Hamid Malik, a leader of Washington Metropolitan community; and activists Sardar Aftab Roshan Khan and Mian Waseem, and Sadaqat Hayat, a Kashmiri- Canadian human rights activist were among those who also addressed the protestors.
At the end, Dr Fai thanked all participants, particularly the media fraternity, including Manzoor Hussain and Zahid Hussain of Weekly Dunya, International, Javid Kousar of BOL TV, Yusuf Choudhary, Khurram Shahzad, Attique Sadozai of SUNO TV. The rally concluded with Du’a for the martyrs of Kashmir.
