Srinagar
In occupied Kashmir, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led Hurriyat forum has said that 13th July 1931 is a milestone in the history of Jammu and Kashmir as on the day Kashmiris for the first time collectively stood up to resist oppressive autocratic rule and gave expression to their aspirations.
On July 13 in 1931, the troops of Dogra Maharaja had killed 22 Kashmiris, one after the other, outside the Central Jail in Srinagar during the court proceedings against one Abdul Qadeer who had asked the Kashmiri people to defy the Dogra rule.
Paying tribute to the martyrs of 13th July and all other martyrs, the Hurriyat forum in a statement in Srinagar said that their supreme sacrifices would not go waste and their dream would be realised. Peaceful resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute is a reality and the will of people of Kashmir will be upheld, it added.
The forum said that the Hurriyat leadership would continue to strive for the peaceful settlement of the dispute. Issuance of domicile certificates is rejected and people should not sell their land or property to outsiders, it maintained.
It said that due to the current COVID-19 pandemic and the continued illegal house detention of Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, people were requested that as per tradition to commemorate the day by observing a strike.
APHC leader and Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Political Movement, Khawaja Firdous in a statement in Srinagar in connection with July 13, 1931 Martyrs’ Day, said that the day was a milestone for the Kashmir liberation movement.
Paying rich tributes to the martyrs, he said that the people of Kashmir would continue the martyrs’ mission till it reached its logical conclusion. He said that the July 13 movement was not only a revolt against autocratic ruler and his atrocities but also a struggle against the desecration of Islamic rites and in that sense it was a purely religious movement with the Muslims behind it.
Khawaja Firdous said that India had increased its atrocities on the people of Kashmir as compared to Dogra rule to suppress the Kashmir liberation movement but the Kashmiri people were not afraid of India’s tactics and would continue their struggle till complete success. He said that controversial domicile law, ban on media and various tactics could not suppress the freedom movement.
He appealed to the United Nations and the international community to play their role in resolving the lingering Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.—KMS
