The Chairman of World Forum for Peace & Justice, Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai has paid rich homage to visionary Kashmiri leader Maqbool Butt on his 39th martyrdom anniversary, adding that he was undoubtedly a selfless and an inspirational soul.
Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai addressing a function in Washington said that Maqbool Butt proved what Sunil Gupta wrote in his book. Sunil Gupta wrote in his Black Warrant: Confession of a Tihar Jailer that “As a last wish, Maqbool Butt was allowed to leave a will. A Sikh magistrate was called a day before the hanging. Butt got his will recorded in English. He said, “There will be many Maqbool Butts that will come and go, but the freedom struggle in Kashmir should continue.”Today, Fai stressed, the whole of Kashmir is following the footsteps of Maqbool Butt for the liberation of their motherland: Jammu & Kashmir.
Sunil Gupta also wrote that an Intelligence Bureau officer who had interrogated Butt after his arrest in 1966 for the murder of the police head constable, said almost the entire interrogation team was impressed by “his clarity of thought, manner of speech and knowledge of various political ideologies, including Maoism.” He added that Maqbool Bhat has said: “I want a fair trial for my people and myself. But I don’t expect to get it in this subcontinent. “
Fai underscored that the mission of Maqbool Bhat is alive. Today, he is an inspiration to millions of Kashmiris and those striving for human rights, human dignity and right to self-determination.
Sardar Zarif Khan, Secretary General, Kashmir American Welfare Association (KAWA) said that Maqbool Butt gave his life for the cause because he believed in it with all sincerity and honesty. We must pay rich tributes to the memory of this martyr.
He added that the killings of innocent civilians in Indian occupied Kashmir must shake the conscience of all peace-loving people. He condemned the efforts to muzzle the press and further expressed need to restore the right to assemble and freedom of expression in Indian occupied Kashmir
The sacrifices of Shaheed Maqbool Butt will never be wasted. The blood of Kashmiri martyrs brings the goal for freedom and justice nearer, Zarif highlighted.
Shoaib Irshad, Joint Secretary of KAWA said that Maqbool Butt was certainly a charismatic leader who gave his today for the betterment of tomorrow; and that his dastardly death will inspire living Kashmiris for the ages.
Shoaib emphasized that the brutalities of the Indian government cannot and should not go unnoticed. It is the responsibility of the Kashmiri diaspora to be the voice of voiceless people in the corridors of powers all over the world.
At the conclusion of the event, it was demanded that the Government of India return the mortal remains of Shaheed Maqbool Butt and Shaheed Afzal Guru to their relatives in Kashmir. It has been a sacrilege to have kept them in India for 39 and 10 callous years respectively.—INP
