Our Correspondent
Shaheed Gala
Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan has said that people of Poonch had played a leading role in the liberation movement of Kashmir by offering unprecedented sacrifices for the noble cause of liberation in 1947. “The best way to pay homage to our martyrs and ghazis is to follow in their footsteps and collectively move forward for achieving the supreme goal of the freedom of Kashmir from India”, said the President while addressing notables after offering Fateha at the memorial of the martyrs of 1947 war.
The President said that we may belong to different tribes, races and adhere to various political views, but for the freedom of Kashmir, we must be one and united and a part of the Muslim Ummah we must protect our Islamic values and maintain our Muslim identity. He also condemned the recent caricatures published in France and the encouragement of Islamophobia by the French leaders. “We must revive the spirit of 1947 freedom movement to play our role in taking the ongoing liberation struggle by our brethren in Indian Occupied Kashmir Kashmir to its logical conclusion”, Khan emphasized.
Referring to the situation in Occupied Kashmir, President Sardar Masood Khan said that in November 1947, the Dogra army and Hindu extremists, with the help of the Indian Army, had killed millions of innocent Kashmiris in Jammu and turned the Muslim majority in the area into a minority. Today, he said, India’s extremist Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu extremist RSS want to repeat the history of 1947 by exterminating Muslims in the Kashmir Valley and settling Indian citizens there.
Khan said that the Kashmiris in IOJK have been offering unparalleled sacrifices for the liberation of their motherland and he reaffirmed the unflinching support of the people of AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan to lead the current struggle to its logical conclusion. Referring to the local issues of Shaheed Gala, the Azad Kashmir President said that this is a beautiful area which can be developed and turned into a tourist paradise. He said that the government was paying special attention to the development of basic infrastructure for the promotion of tourism in the region. He added that immediate steps would be taken to address the water scarcity in the area and for the upgradation of First Aid Post to a Basic health Unit. The construction of a sports complex would also be considered at Shaheed Gallah.
The State President said that Chairman Azad Jammu and Kashmir Investment Commission, Naveed Sadiq was playing an important role in raising the living standards of the people by promoting development and investment in the region and his efforts would soon bring positive change in the region. Later, while addressing a public meeting at Gorri Mar, President Sardar Masood Khan said that the present AJK government was committed to development, especially infrastructure development and universal access to education and healthcare facilities to the people.
He said that for the liberation of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, it is also essential that we make the liberated territory an ideal region in terms of progress and prosperity so that the people of Occupied Kashmir and the world can see a clear difference between freedom and slavery.
