Altaf Hameed Rao
MIRPUR (AJK): Kashmiris living on both sides of the line of control and the world over were all set to observe first anniversary of Shaheed Burhan Muzaffar Wani the charismatic freedom fighter and pioneer of modern resistance movement who was martyred by occupation forces during an encounter in South Kashmir’s Kukernag area last year.
Shaheed Burhan Muzaffar Wani a 22-year-old tech-savvy freedom fighter clinched the distinction of being the youngest freedom fighter of Kashmir who infused a new spirit in the freedom struggle. Wani at his tender age became the iconic face and a powerful symbol of resistance against Indian illegal occupation in Held Kashmir. While fighting against the occupation forces, Burhan rose to the prominence after using social media as a tool to spread his message and persuading youth to join the resistance movement to get their motherland free from Indian bondage.
He was gunned down by the Indian occupational forces in Bamdoora Kukernag area of the occupied valley on July 8 last year during an “encounterâ€. India had announced One million rupee head-money for Shaheed Wani declaring him the most-wanted.
India’s forced and unlawful occupation of Jammu & Kashmir had never been welcomed by the people of Jammu & Kashmir, which is why waves after waves of freedom movement have been generated in the Indian occupied disputed Himalayan region. The face of the latest movement in the bleeding occupied valley was the martyred youngster called Burhan Muzaffar Wani.
In Azad Jammu & Kashmir, elaborated programs have been finalized in all district and tehsil headquarters including the capital city of Muzaffarabad to observe the first martyrdom anniversary. Protest rallies and demonstrations following by special prayers for Wani, the departed young Kashmir freedom movement leader besides other martyrs of Jammu & Kashmir would be the hall mark of the day. In capital city [Muzaffarabad], AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan will lead the major rally to be held Saturday morning to mark the anniversary of Burhan Wani.
In Mirpur, major rally to observe Shaheed Burhan Wani’s martyrdom anniversary will be taken from District Court Premises under the auspices of the National Events Organising Committee – NEOC, an umbrella of all social, political and public representative organizations representing people from all walks of life.
Paying glorious tributes of Burhan Wani on the eve of his first martyrdom anniversary, President AJK Chapter of PPP (Shaheed Bhutto) Ch. Muneer Husssain Advocate said that best way to pay rich tributes to Shaheed Wani is to follow his foot steps till the struggle for freedom reaches to its logical end.
Talking to reporters here Friday, Muneer said that ongoing indigenous struggle for freedom has reached at the point of no return in the Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir following the daily supreme sacrifices of lives being given by the youth including the street children who are determined to get the motherland freedom from the Indian bondage without taking care of their precious lives, he added.
Chairman Joint Action Committee of Mirpur Traders Organization Ch. Mahmood said on the occasion of the first anniversary of Burhan Wani that India should read the writing on the wall and accept the reality about Kashmir’s struggle for freedom. Talking to this Correspondent here on Friday, Mahmood said that Shaheed Burhan Wani infused a new spirit in the Kashmir freedom movement by persuading the young generation of Jammu & Kashmir to take to the street agitation in nook and corner of the occupied valley to get the homeland freed from forced and illegal Indian occupation.
Paying rich tribute to Burhan Muzaffar Wani, Chairman Jammu & Kashmir Human Rights Commission Humayoon Zaman Mirza declared that the supreme sacrifices of the lives by the Kashmiri martyrs including the young shaheed hero of the present time of the Kashmir freedom struggle – Burhan Wani, will not be allowed to go in vain. He said that the mission of Shaheed Wani would be carried forward with full vigor till its accomplishment through the complete success of the freedom movement, he added.
It may be recalled that Burhan Wani was seen as the main attraction for many young and educated boys in South area Kashmir turning into freedom fighters few months before his martyrdom at the hands of the Indian occupational forces. He featured in videos and photos posing with weapons and taunting the Indian occupational security forces, which were circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp in an attempt to recruit young Kashmiri generation in the freedom struggle.
Shaheed Wani was stated to be an expert in using social media and delivered strong speeches. He was from a well-off family in Tral in south occupied Kashmir. Shaheed Wani had reportedly joined the Hizbul Mujahideen at the age of 15 after his brother was allegedly assaulted by the Indian troops in 2010. He had been described as a budding cricketer before he turned to the freedom struggle. India had announced Rs. 10 lakh reward for information leading to his arrest.
One of his brothers was martyred by the Indian Army in 2015 when he allegedly attempted to meet Burhan in the thick forests of Tral. The valiant son of the soil – Burhan Wani had become a big security threat for India and her occupational forces in the occupied valley as he had a huge following among young Kashmiris