ISLAMABAD:
Thousands rallied across Pakistan in mass demonstrations against New Delhi's
actions in disputed Kashmir, with Prime Minister Imran Khan leading the most
ambitious public protests targeting India in years. The protests come weeks
ahead of Khan's scheduled trip to the UN General Assembly where he has vowed to
act as an ambassador for the people of Kashmir, after New Delhi stripped its
portion of the Himalayan territory of its autonomy earlier this month.

Tensions have
soared between the nuclear-armed rivals since, as Indian authorities launched a
sweeping crackdown in Kashmir, which included cutting phone and internet
access, placing restrictions on movement and arresting thousands, according to
multiple sources. Following repeated calls to protest Friday, thousands
gathered in the Pakistani capital Islamabad in front of the prime minister's
secretariat, where Khan vowed to continue fighting for Kashmir until it was
"liberated".

"We will stand
with Kashmir until our last breath," said Khan, as he launched into a
blistering attack on the Indian government, comparing his counterpart Narendra
Modi's administration to Nazi Germany. Ahead of Khan's speech, sirens rang out
around the country followed by broadcasts of the national anthems of Pakistan
and Kashmir, while traffic ground to a halt for several minutes in solidarity
with the rallies.

Thousands more
also rallied in Lahore and Karachi - Pakistan's biggest cities - where large
crowds waved flags and chanted pro-Kashmiri slogans. "No matter what India
does, no matter what Modi does, Kashmir is ours. It belongs to us and we will
not sit by as our Kashmiri brothers are oppressed by the Indians," said
Sadaf Mirza, a 24-year-old university student in Lahore. The demonstrations
were the first in what will be weekly rallies held nationwide until Khan leaves
for the UN in late September.

'Under the
nuclear shadow'

In the weeks
since Modi issued the executive order stripping Kashmir of its autonomy, Khan
has launched a diplomatic offensive, vowing to fight India "until the
end" if attacked and making occasional references to the possible outbreak
of nuclear conflict. Friday's protests came as The New York Times published an
op-ed by Khan, where the former cricket star warned of rising hostilities
between the countries. "World War II happened because of appeasement at
Munich. A similar threat looms over the world again, but this time under the
nuclear shadow," he wrote.

Kashmir has been
divided between India and Pakistan since independence, and has been the spark
for two major wars and countless skirmishes between the arch-rivals. In
February, the countries came close to war after a militant attack in
Indian-administered Kashmir was claimed by a group based in Pakistan, igniting
tit-for-tat air strikes - the first between nuclear-armed nations.

Earlier this week
during a summit in France, US President Donald Trump said there was no need for
him to intervene in the ensuing row between Pakistan and India sparked by
Kashmir, saying Modi had the situation "under control".  The comments were made weeks after Trump had
personally offered to mediate in the Kashmir conflict during Khan's visit to
the White House in late July. India has repeatedly insisted that Kashmir is
purely an internal matter and that it does not want outside mediation, while
lambasting Pakistan's protests as "alarmist".- AFP