Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and across Pakistan on Monday observed Jammu and Kashmir Martyrs’ Day by paying glowing tributes to the 22 Kashmiris who were brutally killed on July 13, 1931, during protest demonstration against Dogra rule.
KP marks Kashmir Martyrs’ Day with glowing tributes to slain Kashmiris
By Fakhar-e-Alam
PESHAWAR, Jul 13 (APP): Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and across Pakistan on Monday observed Jammu and Kashmir Martyrs’ Day by paying glowing tributes to the 22 Kashmiris who were brutally killed on July 13, 1931, during protest demonstration against Dogra rule.
The day was marked with rallies, walks, seminars and special prayer gatherings in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where participants carried banners and placards and reiterated support for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.
Jammu and Kashmir Martyrs’ Day is observed annually to commemorate the 22 unarmed Kashmiris who were shot dead when Dogra forces opened fire on demonstrators outside Srinagar Central Jail in 1931.
The protesters had gathered during the trial of Abdul Qadeer Khan Ghazi, who had urged Kashmiris to resist oppression unleashed by Dogra Forces.
Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and SAFRON, Engineer Amir Muqam, paid rich tribute to the martyrs of Kashmir, describing their sacrifices as a lasting symbol of the Kashmiri people’s freedom struggle from Indian yoke.
In a statement, the minister said the martyrs of Jammu and Kashmir had rendered unforgettable sacrifices for the Kashmir freedom movement. He said their courage and resilience would continue to inspire future generations.
Amir Muqam said the people of Kashmir had demonstrated unwavering commitment to their cause, adding that Pakistan would continue to extend political, diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris.
“The blood of the martyrs of Kashmir will not go in vain. God willing, the people of held Kashmir will attain freedom,” he said.
He added that the sacrifices of the 22 martyrs of 1931 constituted a historic chapter that would never be forgotten.
Vice Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples League Mushtaq Ahmed Shah said Kashmiris observed the day with renewed resolve to continue their struggle till they achieved freedom from Indian yoke.
He claimed that Indian occupational forces continued to conduct night raids, house searches and arrests across Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), creating an atmosphere of fear among civilians.
“As darkness falls in IIOJK, Indian occupation forces, often accompanied by sniffer dogs, break into homes under the guise of search operations, terrifying women and children at gunpoint and leaving residents sleepless,” he claimed.
Mushtaq Shah further said that the situation in the occupied territory had deteriorated following the revocation of the region’s special constitutional status by the Indian regime on August 5, 2019.
Despite heightened security measures, he said, Kashmiris had continued their freedom movement in the IIOJK, while educational institutions, businesses and places of worship remained under heavy surveillance.
The excessive use of force against civilians, including pellet guns, sniper fire and arbitrary detentions made life nightmare for oppressed Kashmiris of IIOJK, claiming that women and children had been among those affected.
Referring to the 2019 report of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Mushtaq Shah said the report had documented human rights violations in the held territory and called for independent international monitoring.
He criticized the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Public Safety Act (PSA), claiming that the laws provided sweeping powers to Indian occupational forces and facilitated prolonged detention without trial.
Mushtaq Shah also referred to the burial of veteran Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani at night and the illegal imprisonment of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Muhammad Yasin Malik in a fake case, describing both as examples of what he termed political repression.
He said the demographic changes in the held territory through the issuance of domicile certificates to non-residents and cited figures from Pakistan’s 2021 Kashmir dossier regarding presence of unmarked graves, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, sexual violence and civilian casualties in IIOJK.
Former Chairman of the Department of International Relations at the University of Peshawar, Dr. Ejaz Khan, said India’s illegal actions in IIOJK constituted violations of international human rights principles and UN Charter.
He urged the international community to play a more active role in addressing the Kashmir dispute and called for implementation of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions to ensure Kashmiris right to self-determination.
Dr. Ejaz warned that continued tensions between Pakistan and India could pose serious risks to regional peace and stability, urging world powers to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the longstanding Kashmir dispute.
The speakers maintained that a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue, in accordance with UN resolutions, was essential for lasting peace, stability and prosperity in South Asia.
