Defence Day rally in Muzaffarabad pays tribute to martyrs
Participants reaffirm solidarity with Pakistan and Kashmiris’ freedom struggle
Muzaffarabad : A grand rally titled “Pakistan is the defensive shield of the Muslim Ummah” was organised in Muzaffarabad by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK) chapter in connection with Defence and Martyrs’ Day.
According to Kashmir Media Service, leaders of political and religious parties, Hurriyat leaders and a large number of citizens participated in the rally. APHC-AJK Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi led the rally from Sathra Mor to the Central Press Club in the city. Hurriyat leaders Sheikh Muhammad Yaqoob, Abdul Majeed Mir and Mushtaq-ul-Islam, Pasban-e-Hurriyat Chairman Uzair Ahmad Ghazali, Pakistan Peoples Party leader Shaukat Javed Mir, Jamaat-i-Islami leader Javed Ahmad Kar, Kashmir United Movement leader Usman Aleem, and Refugees Working Committee patron Chaudhry Ferozuddin, among other political and social leaders, also participated.
The participants carried the national flags of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, along with pictures of Pakistani martyrs, national heroes awarded the Nishan-i-Haider and Kashmiri martyrs. They raised full-throated slogans in support of Pakistan, its martyrs, Kashmiri martyrs and the Kashmir freedom struggle. National anthems were also played during the rally, which the participants listened to while standing respectfully.
APHC pays tributes to martyrs, heroes on Pakistan Defence Day
Addressing the rally, the speakers paid tribute to the martyrs and Ghazis of September 1965, saying that the Pakistan Armed Forces and the people had courageously and resolutely confronted Indian aggression, writing a glorious chapter in the country’s history. They said those who laid down their lives in defence of the motherland remained a source of pride for the entire nation and the Kashmiri people.
The speakers said a strong and stable Pakistan was an important force for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute and for the struggle of the people of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir for their right to self-determination. They said Pakistan had consistently provided political, diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiri people, for which they expressed gratitude to the people, government and armed forces of Pakistan.
They said Pakistan was playing an important role in promoting peace and stability in South Asia and supporting oppressed peoples, while the Kashmiri people regarded Pakistan as the centre of their hopes. They said the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan shared a historic, ideological and emotional bond that no power could sever.
Referring to Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, the speakers said the defensive capabilities and professional competence of Pakistan’s armed forces had boosted the morale of the Pakistani nation and the Kashmiri people. They said Pakistan had demonstrated its capabilities not only on the defence front but also on the diplomatic front.
They said Pakistan, with strong land, naval and air forces, was capable of meeting the requirements of its defence and national security, while the Kashmiri people rightly took pride in Pakistan’s defence capabilities and armed forces.
The speakers said the Kashmiri people’s love, attachment and devotion to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan were everlasting, and pledged that they would continue their struggle until achieving their right to self-determination.
Pro-freedom leaders Shamsher Khan, Usman Ali Hashim, Ghulamullah Azad, Ali Abdullah, Muhammad Iqbal Mir, Muhammad Alam Mughal, Chaudhry Muhammad Javed and Muhammad Naseer Karnai, along with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Syed Rehmat Shah and leaders and workers of various political, religious, social and freedom organisations, also participated in the rally.
