Srinagar, July 13, 2021 (PPI-OT):In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Hurriyat leaders and organizations have paid glowing tributes to the Kashmiri martyrs of July 13, 1931.

22 Kashmiris were killed by the troops of Dogra Maharaja in Srinagar on this day in 1931. They were part of thousands of people who had assembled outside Central Jail, Srinagar, during the court proceedings against one Abdul Qadeer who had asked Kashmiri people to defy the Dogra rule. At the time of Namaz-e-Zuhr, a young man started the call for prayers (Azaan) and was shot dead by the Maharaja’s soldiers. Another took his place and he too was martyred by the troops. Thus, 22 youth sacrificed their lives till the completion of Azaan.

Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee (AAC), headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, held a prayer meeting at its office in Srinagar to pay homage to the martyrs of 13th July and all other martyrs since then who have sacrificed their lives for the realisation of the aspirations and rights of the struggling people of Jammu and Kashmir. The AAC in a statement issued after the meeting said July 13 1931 was the watershed moment in the contemporary history of Jammu and Kashmir when twenty two Kashmiris were killed in cold blood by the ruler of the day that led to the launch of the political agitation by the people of Kashmir for the realisation of their political and economic rights and aspirations.

Senior Hurriyat leader, Ghulam Muhammad Khan Sopore, paying homage to the martyrs of July 13, 1931, said the struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for justice and freedom is very old and is still going on. He said the sacrifice of the martyrs of 1931 is a milestone for the present struggle. He said these martyrs are heroes of the history of Kashmir who encouraged the people of Jammu and Kashmir to rise up against the tyrants and oppressors. He said the Kashmiris are indebted to the martyrs who fought against the autocratic ruler and the ongoing movement is the continuation of the struggle launched by the martyrs of July 13, 1931.

The Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Mass Moment, Molvi Bashir Ahmed Irfani, in a statement said the mission of the martyrs of July 31 is yet to be completed and thousands of Kashmiris have rendered their lives for the purpose. He said that 1931st movement was not only a revolt against autocratic ruler and his atrocities but also a struggle against the desecration of Islamic rites. The Kashmiri leadership of the time betrayed the nation for the first time in 1938, when it turned the Muslim Conference into the National Conference and this cycle of betrayal and deception continues to this day, he deplored. He said the best way to pay homage to all the martyrs of Kashmir is that we continue our struggle till we achieve the right to self-determination. “The Kashmiri people will continue their peaceful struggle in despite all atrocities and coercion. We will not give up the demand for the right to self-determination,” he added.

The Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference Chairman, Shabbir Ahmed Dar, in a statement said the people of Kashmir have rendered unparalleled sacrifices for the freedom of Jammu and Kashmir. He said for the last over seven decades, Kashmiris are resisting the illegitimate occupation of India. He deplored that Indian forces are resorting to the worst human rights violations in IIOJK to suppress the Kashmiris’ freedom struggle. He said it is the responsibility of every Kashmiri to take the mission of the martyrs of 13th July to its logical conclusion.

The Jammu Kashmir Peoples Movement Chairman, Mir Shahid Saleem, addressing a meeting of sociopolitical activists in Jammu said that on this day more than twenty sons of soil had made a supreme sacrifice to liberate their nation from the brutal dogra regime which was committing relentless crimes against the people of Kashmir.

The Chairman of Tehreek-e-Muzahamat, Bilal Ahmed Sidiqui, in a statement issued in Srinagar said 13th July 1931 marks political awakening of Kashmiris after near about 500 years of continuous subjugation and occupation. He maintained that the Kashmiris will continue their struggle till the mission of their martyrs was accomplished.

The Chairman of Kashmir Freedom Front, Syed Bashir Andrabi, in a statement in Srinagar said that the unprecedented sacrifices rendered by the people of Kashmir for the Kashmir cause would not be allowed go waste and would definitely bring fruit. He stated that the Indian brutalities could not break the Kashmiris’ resolve for freedom.

The Chairman of Democratic Political Movement, Khawaja Firdous, termed the July 13 as an important milestone in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. “This is the first time that Kashmiris collectively stood up to express their feelings and aspirations while strongly resisting the oppressive personal rule,” he said. Khawaja Firdous urged the international community to play its role in resolving the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and the UN resolutions so that lasting peace can be established in South Asia.

Hurriyat leader, Jahangir Ghani Butt, while paying glowing tributes to the martyrs of 13 July said that they laid down their lives for the great cause of freedom from tyranny of Dogra rule. He said 13 July is the base for the Kashmiris’ present struggle for the inalienable right to self-determination. He said Kashmiris want peace but peace and prosperity cannot be achieved without settling the disputes like Kashmir conflict.

The Chairman of Islamic Political Party Jammu and Kashmir, Mohammad Yousuf Naqash, said those Kashmiris who attained martyrdom while raising their voices and resisting against the cruel occupation of Dogra rule are the symbols and torches bearers of the ongoing movement against occupation. The sacrifices of these martyrs and all those who are rendering their lives won’t go waste and the realization of their mission is the matter of time only,” he added.

Jammu and Kashmir Sada-i-Mazlum Secretary General, Hilal Ahmad Shah, and others said the 13th of July martyrs stood against the brutal oppressor and an autocrat and those martyrs are signposts of human rights protection, courage and sacrifice, which should guide the Kashmiris in their political and social life. He said every the Kashmir Martyrs’ Day serves as a reminder to protect and promote the political rights of people of Jammu and Kashmir and not succumb to pressures of different shades of vested interest. Youth resistance leader urged the Government of India to give up its obduracy, and accept the reality that it has to address the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

Hurriyat leaders including Javaid Ahmad Mir, along with delegations including visited the Martyrs’ Graveyard and offered Fateha for the departed souls. Javaid Mir said the Kashmiris have given huge sacrifices for the last several decades and the presence of 700 martyrs’ graveyards across IIOJK is a proof to this fact.

The Chairman of Islami Tanzeem-e-Azadi Abdul Samad Inqilabi, in a statement paying homage to the martyrs of July 13, 1931, Burhan Wani and other Kashmiris said the people of Jammu and Kashmir will not allow the sacrifices of their martyrs go waste and would accomplish their mission at all costs.

The Chairman of International Forum for Justice Human Rights JK Muhammad Ahsan Untoo, in a statement issued in Srinagar said July 13, 1931 has its own significance in the history of Kashmir. He condemned the authorities for not allowing the people to visit the graveyard including the families of the martyrs who wanted to offer fateha at the graveyard.

Tehreek-e-Wahdat-e-Islami eulogizing the sacrifice of the martyrs of July 13, 1931 said the struggle of Kashmiris against oppression and injustice started in the early part of the last century is still going on. The TWI spokesman in a statement issued in Srinagar said that when the Dogra autocratic rule in Jammu and Kashmir came to an end at the time of partition of the subcontinent in 1947, India occupied the territory against the wishes of Kashmiris. He said that Kashmiris were continuing their struggle with determination despite all the Indian atrocities and atrocities. He said that the ongoing movement in IIOJK was in fact a continuation of the struggle started in 1931 and the people of the occupied territory wanted to get rid of Indian slavery and join the Pakistan.

Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement (Women Wing) organized a prayer meeting in Srinagar, while all the constituent members and activists including office bearers attended the event. The JKSM Chairman, Altaf Ahmad Butt and Abdul Qadeer, in a joint statement paid glowing tributes to martyrs of 13th July and pledged to carry their mission to its logical end.

Meanwhile, the activists of Jammu and Kashmir Student and Youth Forum pasted posters in Srinagar, Tral, Islamabad and other areas of the occupied territory, eulogizing the sacrifices of the Kashmiri martyrs of July 13.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Freedom League Chairman, Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, Chairman, said martyrdom is the highest and noblest order in the teachings of Islam that leads a believer to Allah and his pleasure, if its sole aim is His love and nearness. Muhammad Farooq Rehmani said in his rich tributes to the glorious sacrifices that were made by 22 Kashmiri youth when they were brutally targeted by the DOgra forces one by one during their Azan -call to prayer – in front of the central jail Srinagar. He said, “Since then, it has become culture of the Kashmiri nation to demonstrate resistance against slavery, illegal foreign occupation of despots, foreign occupation forces of India in Jammu and Kashmir.

The fight against Gulab Singh and his dynastic and despotic rule of one hundred years took to shameful heights in 1947, when the 1st independent government of India, instead of supporting the freedom struggle of the Kashmiris, raided and annexed their land by brutal military might giving birth to the Kashmir dispute.” Farooq Rehmani urged the UN to stop India from terrorizing Kashmiris and implement the UN resolutions on Kashmir to ensure peace and prosperity in the region.

The Chairman of Tehreek-e-Istiqlal, Mushtaq Ahmed Butt, and General Secretary, Abdul Hameed, in a joint statement said the Kashmiri people will not allow the blood of their martyrs go waste and will accomplish their mission at all costs.

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