Thousands of supporters turned out on Sunday for a rally by Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Geelani, who vowed to continue the struggle until the territory is merged with Pakistan. "Today I vow before you that the ongoing struggle (against Indian rule) will be taken to its logical conclusion," 73-year-old Geelani told an estimated 35,000 supporters at the rally in Srinagar.
"We will achieve our goal if we strictly follow Islam," said Geelani, who heads the hard-line faction of the region's main pro freedom alliance, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference.
Sunday's rally was organised by Geelani's political party, Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, which is part of APHC.
Geelani repeated his opposition to autonomy for the region and to the conversion of Line of Control dividing Kashmir between the two neighbours into a permanent border.
"The only solution to resolve the dispute is to provide right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir," he said.
"The implementation of UN Security Council resolutions is the best and right way to resolve the dispute," he said of five-decade-old resolutions that would give Kashmiris a choice between India and Pakistan through a UN-held plebiscite.
Geelani's supporters travelled from across the occupied Kashmir valley waving green and blue party flags. The rally was one of the biggest held by a pro freedom leader in recent times.