NEW YORK: Digital advertising trucks carrying the message “Kashmir Is Not Forgotten: February 5th – Day of Solidarity” moved through some of New York City’s most prominent locations on Thursday, including areas around the United Nations headquarters, Times Square, the Freedom Tower and diplomatic missions, as members of the Kashmiri diaspora marked Kashmir Solidarity Day with a mobile awareness campaign.
The vehicles, fitted with large LED screens, were seen circulating through high-visibility routes frequented by diplomats, tourists, office workers and residents. Organisers said the aim was to take the Kashmir message directly into public spaces rather than confining the observance to indoor seminars or community halls.
Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, Chairman of the World Forum for Peace and Justice, said the digital convoy was designed as an outreach effort to reach people who might otherwise have little exposure to the issue.
“These mobile screens pass through areas where tens of thousands of people gather every day,” he said. “Our purpose is to remind the world that Kashmiris are not alone and that their situation continues to demand international attention.”
He added that the route was deliberately planned to include symbolic sites linked to global diplomacy and public visibility.
“The continued silence of the international community on this long-standing dispute is deeply troubling,” Dr Fai said. “A conflict with clear potential to escalate into a nuclear confrontation is receiving far less attention than its gravity demands. The consequences of such neglect could be catastrophic not only for the region, but for global peace and security.”
The trucks were rented by the Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum (WKAF), which coordinated the display messages. According to organisers, the screens rotated a series of slogans calling for accountability and implementation of United Nations resolutions related to Kashmir.
Among the phrases displayed were calls for a plebiscite, references to press freedoms, appeals for international involvement and criticism of Indian policies in the region. Passersby were seen pausing to read the messages as the vehicles slowed near traffic signals and pedestrian crossings.
Dr Ghulam Nabi Mir, President of the World Kashmir Awareness Forum, said Kashmir Solidarity Day had, over the decades, evolved into an annual point of mobilisation for Kashmiris and Pakistanis across the world.
“Although the idea of marking this day dates back to the early 1990s, it has since become a reminder for our community to speak with one voice,” he said. “For many Kashmiris living abroad, this is a moment to bring our narrative into international spaces.”
He said the objective of the campaign was to draw attention to what activists describe as a prolonged humanitarian and political crisis.
“The world’s silence amounts to acquiescence,” Dr Mir said. “We ask people everywhere to stand in solidarity and to speak out.”
Several Kashmiri American community figures gathered in New York in connection with the campaign and addressed small groups of participants and supporters during pauses in the convoy’s route.
Dr Imtiaz Khan, a Kashmiri American academic, said diaspora activism had increasingly turned to public awareness tools in recent years.
“Community discussions are important, but taking the message into the streets of a global city has a different impact,” he said. “It creates visibility where it did not previously exist.”
Raja Mukhtar, Chief Spokesman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front in North America, said the campaign sought to highlight what he described as long-standing grievances of Kashmiris.
“This is about reminding the world that the issue remains unresolved despite decades passing,” he said.
Sardar Taj Khan, Vice Chairman of Kashmir Mission USA, and Advocate Sardar Imtiaz Khan Garalvi, General Secretary of the same organisation, also spoke during the event, referring to reports of rights restrictions and calling for international engagement.
Sardar Zarif Khan, President of the Kashmir American Welfare Association, said younger members of the community had played an active role in organising logistics and outreach for the digital campaign.
Sardar Sajid Sawar, introduced as a youth leader, said the use of LED trucks represented a modern way to communicate an old message.
“We wanted something that would catch the eye in a city that is constantly moving,” he said.
Sardar Shoaib Irshad, General Secretary of the Kashmir American Welfare Association, Syed Raza Hassan, described as a long-time human rights activist, Naseem Gilgaty representing Americans of Gilgit heritage, and Raja Liaqat Kiyani, President of Kashmir House Washington, also addressed participants.
They referred to the situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and urged what they described as greater awareness among international audiences.
Observers noted that the convoy attracted attention particularly in areas around the UN headquarters, where diplomatic missions from multiple countries are located. Tourists and office workers were seen photographing the trucks as they passed.
Organisers said the LED screens were capable of being seen clearly from a distance and were programmed to rotate messages throughout the day. They estimated that the campaign’s route exposed the messages to tens of thousands of people during peak hours.
While the event did not involve large crowds or formal speeches at fixed locations, the moving nature of the campaign allowed it to pass through different neighbourhoods over several hours.
Participants described the approach as symbolic of the diaspora’s effort to keep the issue visible in international forums and urban public spaces.
Kashmir Solidarity Day is observed annually by Kashmiris and Pakistanis around the world on February 5, often through seminars, demonstrations and community gatherings. This year’s observance in New York added a visual and mobile dimension to the traditional format.
As the trucks continued their route past well-known landmarks, organisers said the objective remained consistent: to ensure that, even in one of the world’s busiest cities, the message that “Kashmir is not forgotten” would be seen.
