ISLAMABAD, Jul 6 (APP):On the upcoming 10th death anniversary of the Kashmiri iconic youth leader Burhan Muzaffar Wani on July 8, the indigenous freedom struggle of the Kashmiri people against oppressive Indian state rule takes center stage, highlighting the enormous sacrifices of the youth and leadership of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Burhan Wani, a young and promising student, grew up witnessing the severe brutalities of Indian security …
Ten years on, IIOJK’s Gen Z carries forward Burhan Wani’s legacy as icon of resistance
ISLAMABAD, Jul 6 (APP):On the upcoming 10th death anniversary of the Kashmiri iconic youth leader Burhan Muzaffar Wani on July 8, the indigenous freedom struggle of the Kashmiri people against oppressive Indian state rule takes center stage, highlighting the enormous sacrifices of the youth and leadership of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Burhan Wani, a young and promising student, grew up witnessing the severe brutalities of Indian security forces. At an early age, understanding the hopeless future faced by Kashmiri youth under occupation, he joined the armed struggle on October 16, 2010. His decision was driven by unending Indian repressive human rights violations and a desire to avenge the humiliation of being severely beaten and insulted by Indian troops.
As a commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, Wani became the face of Kashmiri resistance against Indian occupational forces, gaining massive popularity among the Kashmiri populace-especially the youth-through his extensive social media outreach.
For six years, he remained a potent threat to Indian suppression, using modern communication tools like the internet, Facebook, and WhatsApp to promote the Kashmiri cause. His digital activism sent shock-waves through the top ranks of the Indian government and military leadership, giving New Delhi’s security establishment sleepless nights.
Wani was an intelligent and smart freedom fighter with sharp political guts who completely followed the line of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) to promote the Kashmiris’ struggle.
Operating under a rigorous schedule, he and his colleagues slept during the day and moved across south Kashmir at night. His deep connection with the local population allowed him to break more than 20 Indian army crackdowns, as local residents regularly rushed to rescue him, pelting security forces with stones during siege-and-search operations.
On July 8, 2016, Burhan Wani was martyred by Indian security agencies. His martyrdom triggered massive, months-long unrest, resulting in over 100 deaths and thousands of injuries, while simultaneously reviving global visibility for the Kashmir cause through digital sharing.
More than one million people gathered to offer 40 funeral prayers for the martyred leader, who was laid to rest close to the grave of his elder brother, Khalid Muzaffar Wani.
Wani’s sacrifice completely debunked Indian propaganda regarding foreign fighters, proving that the Kashmir freedom movement was entirely homegrown, driven by educated local youth including students, scholars, and tech-savvy individuals.
According to statistics, local armed recruitment jumped by 55 percent following his martyrdom. Indian intelligence trends recorded a sharp spike from 53 local recruits in 2014 and 66 in 2015, up to over 100 in 2016, expanding further to 126 in 2017 and peaking at 191 in 2018.
His heroic legacy also gained immense traction within international media.
A decade later, in 2026, Burhan Wani lived on as the ultimate heartbeat of Kashmiri Gen Z. Born into an era of smartphones and suppressed dreams, this generation continued to weaponize his story through digital resistance.
Today’s Gen Z in IIOJK blended his fearless spirit with modern tools-utilizing viral poetry, art that defied blackouts, and education to expose the truth.
Despite India’s continued deployment of brutal tactics-including internet blackouts, social media bans, curfews, illegal detentions, massacres, target killings, house burnings, demolitions, torture, disappearances, rape, molestation of Muslim women, and fake encounters-the freedom struggle of Kashmiris remained unyielding.
Adorned with the blood of its martyrs, the indigenous movement continued to prove that no power on earth could defeat the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.
