Kashmiris observe Wani’s 6th anniversary as Resistance Day

MUZAFFARABAD: The sixth martyrdom day of Kashmiri commander Burhan Wani was observed as Resistance Day on Friday on both sides of the Line of Control. A large public rally of youth, children and elders was organized in the capital under the aegis of Pasban-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir to pay homage to Wani.

The people participating in the rally kept chanting slogans for Burhan Wani, Islam, Pakistan and freedom from Indian occupation. Before the rally, an organized contingent of 313 Kashmiri youths saluted the flags of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir besides portraits of Burhan Muzaffar Wani and other martyrs of Jammu and Kashmir. They were wearing ribbons on their foreheads depicting freedom and martyrdom.

Addressing the Resistance Day rally, the speakers said that the sacred blood of thousands of martyrs, including Burhan Wani, would not be wasted under any condition. They reiterated that independence from India is the life goal of the Kashmiri people. The speakers said that the entire nation pays homage to the great hero of Kashmir freedom movement. They stressed that nefarious plans of the Modi government could be stopped only by mobilising a state-wide military movement for liberation from Indian military occupation.

"Indian forces are killing unarmed civilians in the occupied state, imprisoning innocent people, looting houses and settlements and violating all the religious, political and social rights of the Kashmiri people, while the citizens on this side continue to play the role of silent spectators," they lamented.

"Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed state whose future will be decided by the Kashmiris only under the right of self-determination," the speakers added. They called on the Government of Pakistan, as a stakeholder on the Kashmir issue, to respond to India in the language it understands. "It is the constitutional and national responsibility of the state of Pakistan to save the historical and Islamic identity of Jammu and Kashmir and force India to hold a referendum," the speakers demanded.

The rally was led by Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Deputy Ameer Saifullah Khalid, Chairman Pasban-e-Hurriyat Uzair Ahmad Ghazali, Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Sheikh Aqeel-ur-Rehman, Director Kashmir Liberation Cell Raja Sajjad Latif Khan, commander Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Shamsher Khan, PPP leader Shaukat Javed Mir, Sardar Abdul Razzaq, Shaukat Ganai, Muhammad Azam Ghazi, Usman Ali Hashim, Javed Ahmad Mughal, Ali Muhammad Butt, Chaudhry Muhammad Ismail, Tanveer Durrani, Chaudhry Muhammad Mushtaq, Iqbal Yaseen Awan and others.

Burhan Wani was martyred by Indian forces on 8 July 2016 along with two companions Sartaj Ahmad Sheikh and Pervaiz Ahmad Lashkari in Bumdoora village of Kokarnag in the Indian-Occupied Kashmir. After the martyrdom of Burhan Wani, his brother Khalid Wani decided on practical resistance against the military occupation of India.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed martyred Kashmiri youth Burhan Muzaffar Wani as a symbol of Kashmiris courageous resistance against the Indian occupation. On the sixth martyrdom anniversary of Wani, the prime minister paid tribute to him and said the Indian troops in occupied Kashmir unjustifiably tortured Wani and forced him to pick guns instead of education.

PM Sharif said Burhan Wani was the dear son of a Kashmiri mother who used to teach Holy Quran and of a teacher father who taught students. He said Wani had written a chapter of great sacrifice against the illegal occupation of India and added that even 0.9 million troops could not deter the commitment of such brave sons of soil.

The prime minister said for over 70 years, the courageous Kashmiri people were struggling for their right to self-determination. He urged the international community, particularly the United Nations, to ensure implementation of the resolutions of the Security Council by holding a plebiscite in accordance with the aspirations of the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He vowed Pakistan s continued support to the just struggle of the Kashmiri people and prayed for the elevation of ranks of martyrs, including Burhan Wani.