Shutdown to be observed in IIOJK tomorrow to mark Kashmir Martyrs’ Day
#ShutdownInIIOJKOnJuly13
Srinagar: A complete shutdown will be observed tomorrow in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir to mark Kashmir Martyrs’ Day, observed annually on July 13.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leadership has called for the shutdown to emphasize the urgent need for a peaceful and just resolution of the Kashmir dispute and to highlight the Indian repression against the common Kashmiris, Hurriyat leaders, and activists.
The strike will be accompanied by a march towards the Martyrs’ Graveyard at Naqshband Sahib in Srinagar, where the martyrs of July 13, 1931, are buried.
Incarcerated APHC leaders, including Chairman Masarrat Alam Butt, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, and Naeem Ahmad Khan, issued a joint statement from New Delhi’s Tihar Jail urging Kashmiris to honor the sacrifices of the martyrs by persisting in their struggle for freedom from Indian occupation. They also called upon Imams and Khateebs to remind people of their duty to protect their faith and identity from the Hindutva onslaught.
The martyrs of July 13, 1931, were killed by Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh’s troops outside Central Jail in Srinagar, where thousands had gathered to attend court proceedings against one Abdul Qadeer, who had called for defiance against Dogra autocratic rule. When a Kashmiri youth began the call to prayer, Dogra soldiers shot and killed him, and another person who attempted to complete the call to prayer was also shot dead. In total, 22 Kashmiris sacrificed their lives before the call to prayer could be completed.
This massacre is regarded as the darkest chapter in the history of the Dogra regime. The Dogra period is considered the worst phase in pre-partition Kashmir’s history due to the severe cruelties inflicted on Muslims.
The APHC leaders stressed the importance of remembering these sacrifices and continuing the struggle for self-determination and freedom from Indian occupation.
