‘Charar-e-Sharief desecration & destruction: A painful legacy of occupation’
#1995BurningOfChararSharif
Srinagar: Today, Kashmiris are observing the 29th anniversary of the desecration and destruction of centuries-old Sufi shrine of famous saint, Sheikh Noorud Din Wali (RA) at Charar-e-Sharief in Badgam district of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, by the Indian troops.
A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today, said that it was on the intervening night of May 10 and 11 in 1995 when Charar-i-Sharief went up in raging flames on the auspicious occasion of Eid day, to the chagrin and heartbreak of the Kashmiri people.
The Charar-e-Sharief complex included a historic mosque and hundreds of residential houses that were also destroyed by the troops during a military siege that continued for 66 days. About 1,000 houses and 200 shops in the mountainous town of Charar-e-Sharief were gutted.
The report said the incident of burning of Charar-e-Sharif shrine by Indian troops is still fresh in the memory of Kashmiris even after the passage of twenty nine years. It said Indian troops have destroyed and desecrated hundreds of Muslim holy places in the last 35 years in the occupied territory.
The report said the burning of Charar-e-Sharif shrine by Indian troops is one of the most tragic incidents in Kashmir’s history. It pointed out BJP and RSS are openly hurting religious sentiments of the Muslims across IIOJK.
The report said India is applying every brutal method to suppress the Kashmiris’ freedom sentiment but will never succeed in its nefarious designs.
On the occasion, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference in a statement in Srinagar said that desecration and damage caused to the mosque and shrine during the military siege in Charar-e-Sharief and repeated incidence of extra-judicial killings in various places in IIOJK are manifestations of the unabated state-terrorism to which Kashmiris are subjected in the occupied territory. It said targeting faith & cultural identity of IIOJK people is clear violation of basic human norms & fundamental precepts of interational law.
The APHC urged the international human rights bodies to take notice of the ongoing human rights violations in IIOJK and intervene to save the Kashmiri Muslims from the Hindu fascism. It maintained that people of Jammu and Kashmir are determined to continue their struggle, despite all odds.
