Police contingents presenting guard of honour and Kashmiri activists wearing mock burial shrouds bearing the names of the martyrs of July 13, 1931 created awe-inspiring scenes at two of the several events held in the state capital and elsewhere in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Monday to mark Kashmir Martyrs Day.
As many as 22 Kashmiri Muslims were gunned down by the troops of the despotic Hindu Dogra ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir outside Central Jail in Srinagar, where a large gathering had assembled on the occasion of an in-camera trial of Abdul Qadeer, a resident of British India, on the charges of inciting people against the regime.
After its unwarranted action to revoke special status of occupied Jammu and Kashmir on Aug 5 last year, the BJP government had, among other repressive measures, discarded the ritual commemoration of Kashmir Martyrs Day even by the pro-India parties in the occupied territory, following which the AJK government had announced its observance in an extraordinary manner.
In state capital Muzaffarabad, the main ceremony, where smartly turned out police contingents presented guard of honour to Kashmiri martyrs -for the first time in the territory's history - was held on an open space in front of the entrance of PM Secretariat, in keeping with the SOPs to contain Covid-19.
Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider was the chief guest on the occasion.
Banners and hoardings had been displayed at the venue, bearing not only the names of the 22 martyrs but also quotations on the Kashmiris’ heroic struggle for emancipation.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Haider paid rich tributes to the July 13 martyrs for laying down their lives for the democratic rights of their oppressed nation and thus infusing motivation among their compatriots.
“The soil, the people and the government on this side of the divide are the trustees of the liberation movement. Today, while the so-called largest democracy ruled by the successor of Nazis has banned the observance of martyrs’ day in the territory under its occupation, it’s indeed an honour for us to pay homage to those martyrs in the base camp of the freedom struggle,” the AJK premier said.
He recalled that none of the 22 martyrs of July 13 had sustained bullets on his back but on their chests, which “spoke volumes about the fearlessness and bravery of Kashmiris.”
“History bears testament to the fact that no power can keep the Kashmiris enslaved for good at the strength of its military might. The tradition set by July 13 martyrs has been and is being religiously followed by the Kashmiris during the ongoing phase of struggle against Indian yoke,”
“I bet India can never defeat such an exceptional, revolutionary and indomitable spirit,” he said.
Mr Haider maintained that Kashmiris had established a bond with the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who had always held them close to his heart.
“Now it’s the responsibility of the people, rulers, political leaders and intelligentsia in Pakistan to play their role in actualizing Quaid’s promise to the Kashmiris,” he said.
The AJK premier said he was pleased to note that there was complete consensus of the people, political parties and government [in Pakistan] on the issue of Kashmir.
“But we need to fully comprehend the fascist Indian government’s nefarious designs… After a humiliating defeat from China, Narendra Modi is finding excuses to launch an aggression on our side of the divide,” he warned.
“Let me make it clear to Mr Modi from the soil of Muzaffarabad that the people and the government of the liberated territory [of Kashmir] are fully prepared to take Indian troops head on, shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces of Pakistan,” he vowed.
Mr Haider also assured the armed forces of Pakistan that every single person in AJK stood behind them “to make mincemeat of Indian army.”
“I also assure Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Yasin Malik, Syed Shabbir Shah and other pro-freedom leadership in occupied Kashmir that we all will never leave you alone in this common struggle against Indian occupation.”
On this occasion, Mr Haider called upon the people of occupied Jammu and Ladakh to drive out those elements who had been hankering to bring about demographic change in the disputed region.
“Or else the nation will never forgive you,” he said.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Sahibzada Salim Chishti, chairman AJK Zakat Council, led special supplications to the Almighty for the deliverance of the martyrs and early success of the freedom struggle.
Separately, an organization of post-1990 migrants from occupied Kashmir also staged a rally from Burhan Wani Chowk to Garhipan Chowk to pay homage to the July 13 martyrs.
Earlier, they lined up in front of a giant wall of the district headquarters complex that has been decorated with the embossed images of Indian troops firing bullets and pellets and the unarmed Kashmiris retaliating with stones.
Of the participants, 22 were wearing mock burial shrouds bearing the names of 22 martyrs. They also made prayer calls, apart from raising pro-freedom slogans at full volume.
While condemning India for unleashing terror on the freedom seeking Kashmiris, the speakers, who includ
Reports from other areas said webinars and other events were held almost everywhere to voice support for the just struggle of Kashmiris across the divide.
Tariq Naqash
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