Muzaffarabad: On the anniversary of Maqbool Butt’s execution, a protest rally in Muzaffarabad paid homage to the influential Kashmiri leader, who was executed in India’s Tihar Jail on February 11, 1984. The event highlighted his enduring impact on the Kashmir freedom movement and called attention to the ongoing plight of detained Hurriyat leaders.

According to a statement by Kashmir Media Service, the rally was organized by the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party, beginning at the Tanga Stand and concluding at Gillani Chowk. Mahmood Ahmed Sagar, Acting Chairman of the Democratic Freedom Party, along with other Hurriyat leaders, addressed the participants.

In a telephonic address, Mahmood Sagar honored both Maqbool Butt and Afzal Guru, asserting that Butt’s sacrifice had reinvigorated the freedom movement. Sagar emphasized that the spirit ignited by Maqbool Butt’s martyrdom would persist in the quest for freedom.

Speakers at the rally reiterated the commitment of the Kashmiri people to their struggle for independence, expressing readiness to make any necessary sacrifices. They also voiced concerns regarding the safety of detained Hurriyat leaders such as Masarat Alam Butt, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Yasin Malik, and Asiya Andrabi, who face significant threats in Indian prisons.

The leaders called upon the United Nations to apply pressure on India for the immediate release of all detained freedom activists, underscoring the urgency of addressing human rights concerns in the region.