Indian freedom movement came alive in a different shape when tens of thousands of Kashmiris waving green and black protest flags marched through Kashmir and gathered in front of UN office in Srinagar demanding freedom from India and intervention by the world body.

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Indian freedom movement came alive in a different shape when tens of thousands of Kashmiris waving green and black protest flags marched through Kashmir and gathered in front of UN office in Srinagar demanding freedom from India and intervention by the world body. Hundreds of trucks and buses, overflowing with protesters, some sitting on roofs and hanging out of windows, have been making their way across Kashmir to Srinagar for the protest. People have come from places like Anantnag, Kupwara, Ganderbal and Baramulla to join in the protest.

The marching was headed by Hurriyat leaders, with hundreds of people joining in from various parts of the state. Demonstrators have been tearing down a barbed wire fence that authorities had erected on roads leading to the UN offices and chanted "Down with India" and "Long live Pakistan". Thousands of police and paramilitary forces in riot gear have been patrolling the streets, but no violence is being reported. The march has so far been peaceful and the protestors have assembled at the Tourist Reservation Centre near the UN office at Sonwar.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chief of the moderate faction of the separatist Hurriyat Conference, asked the Indian government to hold trilateral talks with Pakistan and Kashmiri leaders to resolve the 60-year-old dispute. Addressing a mammoth rally in Srinagar, Mirwaiz also asked India to immediately open trade routes with Pakistan through the Line of Control (LoC) - the de-facto border between India and Pakistan.

Farooq, the Hurriyat Chairman, proceeded to Jamia Masjid from where he lead the march towards the UN office at Sonwar. Though police say there is no curfew, security forces are working on a plan to regulate the number of people who will be allowed to gather at the UN office. Meanwhile, government sources say that the protestors may not be allowed to move into the city at all. All roads leading in have been blocked.