Islamabad, (Parliament Times) : Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq, while paying rich tributes to July 13 martyrs, has said that the day reminds us about the great sacrifices of 22 Kashmiris who on this fateful day in 1931 were gunned down, one after the other, outside Srinagar jail by the soldiers of the Dogra Maharaja while attempting to complete Azan (call for prayer).
In his special statement issued here today, the PM said that the Kashmiri nation has a proud legacy of raising the banner of revolt against the oppressors. Terming the 13th July incident as one of the glorious chapters of the Kashmiris’ resistance movement, the PM said that the Kashmiri people have never shied away from raising their voice against oppression and tyranny.
Referring to the Kashmiris’ age old struggle to free their homeland of tyrants and invaders, he said that the supreme sacrifices rendered by the Kashmiris from 1931 and onwards serve as a beacon of light and hope for freedom-loving people across the globe.
While paying tribute to Kashmiri martyrs, the PM said that the day was being observed on both sides of the LoC with a renewed pledge to uphold the martyrs’ mission and take the ongoing struggle to its logical conclusion.
Lauding the Pakistani nation for its consistent support of the Kashmir movement, the PM said that right from 1931 the people of Pakistan have always lent their full support to their Kashmiri brethren to achieve their goals.
Referring to Dr. Allama Iqbal and other Muslim leaders’ role in advocating the Kashmiris’ cause, the PM said that after the tragic incident, protests against the Dogra regime and solidarity rallies in support of Kashmiris were held in Lahore and other parts of the country.
Similarly, the Muslim leaders, he said, played a remarkable role in fighting for the rights of Muslims in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir before the partition of the subcontinent.
Commenting on the prevailing political and human rights situation in the Indian occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the AJK premier said India has turned occupied Kashmir into a military garrison where people have been deprived of their essential fundamental freedoms.
He, however, maintained that despite using all means of oppression, India has miserably failed to suppress the Kashmiris’ legitimate struggle and their urge for freedom.