Islamabad (Web Desk): Kashmir Martyrs’ Day is being observed today (Monday) by Kashmiris living on sides of the Line of Control (LoC) as well as by the Kashmiri diaspora around the world to remember the sacrifices of those who lost their lives on July 13, 1931.
According to historical reports, 22 Kashmiris were martyred after Dogra forces opened fire on peaceful demonstrators in Srinagar on July 13, 1931.
The Kashmir Media Service (KMS) reported that a complete shutdown is being observed across Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The strike was called by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and has received support from pro-freedom leaders and organisations across the region.
The APHC has also urged people to proceed to the Martyrs’ Graveyard at Naqshband Sahib in Srinagar, where they have been asked to offer Fateha for those who sacrificed their lives.
Marking the occasion, the Government of Pakistan reaffirmed its unwavering political, diplomatic and moral support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the 22 Kashmiris who embraced martyrdom while facing the firing of Dogra forces in Srinagar in 1931.
In their separate messages Kashmir Martyrs’ Day, the president and the premier said that the people of Pakistan stand in solidarity with their Kashmiri brothers and sisters in honouring the sacrifices of the martyrs.
In his message issued on the 95th Kashmir Martyrs’ Day, President Zardari paid glowing tribute to the 22 Kashmiris who laid down their lives during the 1931 incident.
“On this somber day, the people of Pakistan join their Kashmiri brethren in commemorating the sacrifice of the martyrs of 1931. Regrettably, Kashmiris are still struggling against India’s illegal occupation,” he said.
The president said that even today, more than 900,000 Indian occupation forces continue to keep the people of Kashmir under military control. He added that India's unilateral measures taken on August 5, 2019, represented another attempt to deprive Kashmiris of their unique identity and reduce them to a minority in their own homeland.
President Zardari further said that after those developments, India abolished the official public holiday observed every year since 1948 to mark Kashmir Martyrs’ Day. He also noted that the traditional Guard of Honour ceremony at the Martyrs’ Graveyard had been discontinued.
“As we honour the invaluable sacrifice of the heroes of 1931 as well as all innocent Kashmiris who have laid down their lives in this just struggle, we urge India to immediately halt repression in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), cease all human rights violations, release all political prisoners, lift the military siege and stop its attempts to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory,” President Secretariat Media Wing, in a press release, quoted the president as saying.
He also called upon the international community to fulfil its responsibility by ensuring the protection of human rights in IIOJK and supporting efforts for a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in line with the wishes of the Kashmiri people and the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
“While honouring the martyrs of Kashmir, we pray that Allah Almighty grant them the highest place in Jannah and bring closer the day when the people of Jammu and Kashmir are able to exercise their right to determine their own future freely and peacefully,” he added.
The president reaffirmed that Pakistan would continue standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Kashmir and would remain steadfast in supporting their cause.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his message, also honoured the courage, resilience and sacrifices made by the martyrs of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Kashmir Martyrs’ Day also symbolises the resilience, courage and unwavering determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, which have inspired generations, to continue their just struggle for justice and the realisation of their inalienable right to self-determination. The readiness of the people to make the ultimate sacrifice for this fundamental right continues to shape and define the historical struggle of Jammu and Kashmir,” the prime minister said.
PM Shehbaz said that despite heavy militarisation, continued repression, and persistent rights violations in held Kashmir, the resolve of the Kashmiris remains unshaken.
“Arbitrary detentions, suppression of political dissent, restrictions on the media, and attempts to alter the demographic and political landscape of the occupied territory have been widely documented and condemned by international human rights organisations and United Nations human rights mechanisms. Yet, the people of Jammu and Kashmir continue to steadfastly pursue their legitimate aspirations,” he said.