Kashmiris protest Israel’s killing of Hezbollah chief Nasrallah

Hundreds of protesters have rallied in Indian-administered Kashmir denouncing the Israeli assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, with top pro-India politicians suspending their campaigning for the ongoing regional elections.

Over the weekend hundreds of protesters took to the streets holding up pictures of the Lebanese leader and chanting slogans including “Oh martyrs of Palestine, we are with you!” They raised signs and banners with messages denouncing Israel and the United States.Abbas Ali, 25, a college student who protested in the main city of Srinagar on Saturday, told Al Jazeera that Nasrallah had stood against oppression and injustice.

“This protest is not just for our dear leader Hassan Nasrallah but also for the oppressed people of Palestine, for Lebanon and for everyone suffering at the hands of oppressors, particularly Israel. Kashmir has always stood for justice for the Palestinian people and will continue to do so, despite the fear and injustice we face ourselves. We cannot be silenced forever.”

Amal Mirza, 20, who took part in protests in the Saida Kadal locality of the city, told Al Jazeera: “Whatever Israel is doing, we will not stay silent.

“We are not afraid of dying, but of staying silent. We stand with the oppressed.”

All Jammu and Kashmir Shia Association (AJKSA), a union of Shia groups, has called for a protest on Sunday evening at Imam Bargah Zadibal in Srinagar.

“We honour Syed Hassan Nasrallah’s life, and legacy, remembering his unwavering resolve, strategic leadership, and compassion. His martyrdom will not diminish our resolve to strive for justice and equality,” senior Shia leader Imran Ansari said.

Hundreds of policemen have been deployed in Shia-majority localities to prevent any law-and-order issues amid ongoing protest rallies.

The solidarity protests have been organised despite criminalisation of pro-Palestine protests by the authorities, particularly since the region’s semi-autonomous status was stripped in 2019 by the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kashmiris have long expressed solidarity with Palestinians in their resistance to Israeli occupation, which has been declared unlawful by the International Court of Justice.

Modi has moved India closer to Israel, changing the country’s traditional stand on the decades-old Israel-Palestine conflict, with Indian companies supplying arms and other commercial goods to Israel during the 11-month war on Gaza.

Many religious and political leaders in the region expressed grief about the killing and some suspended their election campaigns on Sunday as a “mark of protest”.

India is holding elections in the Muslim-majority region for the local legislative assembly for the first time since 2014.

Modi’s hardline policies to integrate Kashmir with mainland India have angered Kashmiris in a region that has seen decades of armed rebellion against Indian rule.

Former chief minister and president of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party, Mehbooba Mufti, announced she was cancelling her campaign for the final stage of voting “in solidarity with the martyrs of Lebanon and Gaza especially Hassan Nasrallah”.

“We stand with the people of Palestine & Lebanon in this hour of immense grief & exemplary resistance,” she wrote on X.

Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, member of parliament from Kashmir, who was canvassing for National Conference party candidates, also suspended his campaign.

“The Muslim ummah [global Muslim community] is in grief now so that’s why I ended the election campaign.”

Jammu Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) vice president Omar Abdullah, who is a former chief minister, also condemned Israel’s actions.

“JKNC VP Omar Abdullah condemns the actions of Israel and calls for world support to end the ongoing massacre of innocent people in Gaza and Lebanon,” JKNC’s account wrote on X.