Seminar in Muzaffarabad pays tribute to Syed Ali Gilani
Speakers reaffirm commitment to Kashmiris’ freedom cause
Muzaffarabad,: A grand seminar was held at the Prime Minister House in Muzaffarabad under the auspices of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Cell to mark the fifth death anniversary of Baba-e-Hurriyat Syed Ali Shah Gilani.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the seminar was presided over by APHC-AJK Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi, while former Speaker of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Chaudhry Latif Akbar was the chief guest.
Hurriyat leaders, representatives of political, social and religious organisations, intellectuals, teachers, people from different walks of life and a large number of male and female students attended the event.
The speakers paid rich tributes to Syed Ali Shah Gilani, describing his life as an example of determination, sacrifice, ideological commitment and principled politics in the struggle for the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.
They said Gilani remained steadfast in his political beliefs for more than half a century despite imprisonment, house detention and other restrictions imposed on him by India.
The speakers said Gilani believed that the future of Jammu and Kashmir could not be decided through force or unilateral claims but must be determined in accordance with the free will and right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people.
They said his slogan, “Hum Pakistani Hain, Pakistan Hamara Hai” (We are Pakistanis and Pakistan is ours), reflected his political ideology and his vision for the future of Kashmir.
Gilani a guiding light for new generation: Ghulam Muhammad Safi
In his presidential address, APHC-AJK Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi said the participation of young people and women in the seminar was aimed at acquainting the new generation with Syed Ali Shah Gilani’s political thought and the historical basis of his position on Kashmir.
He said Gilani rejected India’s claim that Kashmir was its integral part and maintained that the people of Jammu and Kashmir had the right to decide their political future.
Safi said Gilani’s association with Pakistan was based on deep ideological and emotional attachment and was not merely a political slogan.
He said the Kashmiri leadership had pursued peaceful and democratic means, including political participation, to seek a resolution of the Kashmir dispute, but their political aspirations and mandate were not respected.
Safi reiterated that the Kashmiri people would not accept any political arrangement imposed upon them without their consent and would continue to demand their right to self-determination.
He said the Kashmir dispute was fundamentally a political issue and could not be resolved merely through development projects, economic incentives or infrastructure schemes.
Referring to Gilani’s ideology, he said there could be no compromise on political freedom and human dignity.
Safi further said that Syed Ali Shah Gilani supported trilateral dialogue involving the Kashmiri leadership, Pakistan and India, maintaining that no durable settlement of the Kashmir dispute could be achieved without the genuine representation of the Kashmiri people.
Call for just settlement of Kashmir dispute
The participants called upon the international community, the United Nations and international human rights organisations to take serious notice of the human rights situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, ensure the restoration of civil liberties, release political prisoners and protect fundamental human rights.
The speakers said a just and lasting settlement of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions, international law and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people was essential for lasting peace and stability in South Asia.
At the conclusion of the seminar, the participants reaffirmed their commitment to continuing the struggle for the political and democratic rights of the Kashmiri people and said Syed Ali Shah Gilani’s ideology and steadfastness would remain a source of inspiration for future generations.
Senior Hurriyat leader Madam Shamim Shawl, Sheikh Muhammad Yaqoob, Secretary Higher Education and Secretary Liberation Cell Chaudhry Abdul Rehman, Registrar Azad Kashmir University Saadat Hanif Dar, Director Liberation Cell Sardar Sajid Mahmood, Deputy Director Liberation Cell Shaista Iftikhar, Secretary Schools Qazi Inayat, Dr Adnan Meraj, Madam Nargis Syed, Dr Samira Shafiq, Madam Shagufta Bukhari, senior PPP leader Shaukat Javed, Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Muzaffarabad Raja Aftab, Arshad Bukhari, Syed Gulshan, Mushtaq-ul-Islam, Abdul Majeed Mir, Mushtaq Ahmad Butt, Aziz Ghazali, Chaudhry Ferozuddin, Jahangir Qureshi, Usman Hashmi, Munir Konshay, Javed Kar, Fayyaz Ahmad and Zameer Durrani were among those who attended the seminar.
