In Kashmir, a major rally took place in Budgam, where worshippers marched from the Budgam Imambara to the main chowk, chanting anti-US and anti-Israel slogans in support of Iran.
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Protesters carried posters of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and the late leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini, while voicing solidarity with the Iranian nation.
Prominent Shiite cleric Aga Syed Hassan, head of the Anjuman-e-Shari Shia Budgam, joined the rally along with several other religious leaders.
“International media organizations should report facts from Iran. Disturbances have been curbed. Peace has been restored. There is a need to avoid further escalation of tensions,” Hassan said.
Meanwhile, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti praised the protests in favor of Iran, saying the United States was “routinely attacking countries in the name of restoring democracy while exploiting their natural resources.”
“Glad that people of Kashmir were coming forward to support Iran and raise their voice against what she termed global injustice. Such protests should have taken place across India as well. Iran has historically been a good friend of India. However, the situation has changed due to policies pursued by the BJP,” Mufti said.
Hundreds of worshippers in Ladakh braved sub-zero temperatures after Friday prayers to stage rallies across several towns in Kargil, including Kargil town, Sankoo and Drass.
Expressing support for Iran, the demonstrators condemned the United States and Israel and reaffirmed their backing for Iran’s leadership and political system.
“People in Kargil have expressed unequivocal and unwavering solidarity with the leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, and the Islamic Revolution system,” Sajjad Kargili, a local leader, said.
He added that the scale and intensity of the protests sent a clear message that harsh conditions could not silence the voice of truth and resistance.
“Imperialism may take lives, but it can never extinguish an ideology,” Kargili said.