THE All Parties Hurriyat Conference has called upon the Kashmiris living across the Line of Control and abroad to hold protest demonstrations today (September 01), the first death anniversary of veteran Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Gilani.
The spirit with which various activities have been planned for the day speak of the resolve of the Kashmiri people to continue to pursue the mission of Ali Gilani, who dedicated his life and sacrificed everything for the cause of Kashmiri people and earned the enviable status of ‘Father of the Freedom Movement’.
APHC General Secretary Maulvi Bashir Ahmad Irfani has aptly described Syed Ali Gilani as leader of the century and a role model for generations to come as his life has become a beacon of light for all freedom loving people around the globe.
This is because he never deviated from his principled stand on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and did not abandon his peaceful pursuits despite immense provocations, threats, intimidation and incarceration by occupation forces.
For more than a decade, Gilani was under detention and confined to his home despite his multiple health issues but he proved to be a leader of indomitable spirit in the face of physical and mental torture as well as denial of proper medical facilities.
People of Pakistan would always remember Syed Ali Gilani for his uncompromising stand that the destiny of Kashmir – and Kashmiris – lay with Pakistan.
He was opposed to the idea of independence on the ground that it risked dividing the Muslim majority of Jammu and Kashmir – on both sides of the Line of Control – into opposed camps.
Gilani also rejected any direct talks with India until it accepted Kashmir as a disputed territory.
His continued detention and relentless defiance against Indian rule earned him a huge following in Occupied Kashmir where his calls for shutdowns and protest demonstrations evoked massive response.
He was a writer and author par excellence and had penned down dozens of books including “Wular Kinarey” and “Iqbal Rooh-e-Deen Ka Shanasa”.
Gilani is no more among Kashmiris but it is rightly said that he will continue to be an icon and ideologue for Kashmir Freedom Movement.
The real tribute to this great leader would be to continue his mission with the same zeal till realization of the right of self-determination for Kashmiris.
