The All Parties Hurriyat Conference Vice Chair-man, Ghulam Ahmed Gulzar, has said that iconic Kashmiri leader, Syed Ali Gilani, was an embodi-ment of honesty, unwavering resoluteness, struggle, and vision in the story of the Kashmir freedom movement.
Ghulam Ahmed Gulzar said this in a statement issued in Srinagar ahead of the 2nd martyrdom anniversary of Syed Ali Gilani to be observed on September 01. Syed Ali Gilani breathed his last at his Hyderpora residence in Srinagar on September 01 in 2021 where he had been kept under house arrest by the Indian authorities for over a decade.
He said Syed Ali Gilani was an epitome of Kashmir freedom movement and his passion, ideology, and vision about Kashmir were matchless. He said that the veteran leader not only presented the cause of Kashmir with great clarity but also united all the Kashmiris for that noble cause. The life and struggle of this great leader will serve as a beacon light and will continue to guide Kashmir’s future generations, he said, adding, it is our obligation to follow the teachings of the martyred leader.
Ghulam Ahmed Gulzar paying rich tribute to Syed Ali Gilani said that he remained a passionate advocate of Jammu and Kashmir’s Accession to Pakistan throughout his life. “The iconic leader coined the slogan ‘Hum Pakistani hen, Pakistan hamara hey (we are Pakistanis and Pakistan is ours)’ which echoes in the hearts of Kashmiris. Syed Ali Gilani is the face of Kashmir resistance movement who challenged India’s illegal occupation over Jammu and Kashmir and spearheaded the struggle for right of self-determination,” he said.
The APHC Vice Chairman said the veteran leader is regarded as an epitome of dedication and sacrifice and will continue to inspire the struggling people of the territory in the times to come. He will continue to be viewed as an icon and great leader who strived for the sacred cause of freedom throughout his life, ultimately sacrificing himself for it, he added.
Ghulam Ahmed Gulzar said that Syed Ali Gi-lani was a staunch opponent of Indian illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir and his stand on the Kashmir dispute invited the wrath of the Indian authorities. “He spent more than 13 years in Indian jails. He was first imprisoned in 1962 and was even booked under sedition charges for challenging India’s illegal occupation over Jammu and Kashmir. Indian rulers were even afraid of his dead body. It is evident from the fact that the Indian forces’ personnel snatched away the body of the veteran leader from his family and forcibly buried it in the darkness of the night in a local graveyard at Hyderpora around 300 meters away from him residence – preventing the family from fulfilling his will of burying him at the Martyrs’ Graveyard at Eidgah in Srinagar,” he said.
The APHC Vice Chairman urged the Kashmiris to organize different programs to highlight the role of the martyred leader and pray for the departed soul. He said the best way to pay tributes to Syed Ali Gilani and other Kashmiri martyrs is to continue the struggle to accomplish their mission.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Pasban-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir, Uzair Ahmad Ghazali, in a statement in Muzaffarabad said that glowing tributes would be paid to Syed Ali Gilani on his second martyrdom anniversary on September 1 (Friday). He said that Syed Ali Gilani organized the people’s resistance movement in the territory against the Indian military occupation and fought a historic struggle for the freedom of the oppressed Kashmiri people throughout his life.
He said the struggle of Shaheed Gilani will be written in golden letters in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. He said on September a grand “Juhd-e-Musalsal Rally” will be organized at 9:00am at Burhan Wani Shaheed Chowk in Muzaffarabad and appealed to the people to pay tributes to the martyred leader.—KMS
