IIOJK authorities prevent people from marching towards Mazar-e-Shuhada
Srinagar: The authorities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir have stopped people from marching towards Mazar-e-Shuhada in Naqshband Sahib, Srinagar, where the martyrs of July 13 are buried.
According to Kashmir Media Service, 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.
The authorities have deployed a large number of Indian forces personnel in Naqshband Sahib and surrounding areas.
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It should be remembered that the All Parties Hurriyat Conference leadership, today called for a strike in the occupied territory on “Kashmir Martyrs’ Day” along with a march to the Martyrs’ Graveyard located in Naqshband Sahib.
Meanwhile, the authorities in IIOJK also prevented National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti from visiting Mazar-e-Shuhada on Martyrs’ Day.
Omar Abdullah, vice president of the National Conference, expressed his frustration on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter while saying, “Another 13th July, Martyr’s Day, another round of locked gates and police excesses to stop people from paying homage to those who sacrificed their lives to establish a just, fair, and democratic regime in J&K.”
“Everywhere else in India these people would have been celebrated, but in Kashmir the administration wants to ignore these sacrifices. This is the last year they will be able to do this. In sha Allah, next year we will mark 13th July with the solemnity and respect this day deserves,” he added.
Echoing similar sentiments, Mehbooba Mufti also took to X. “The gates of my house have been locked up yet again to prevent me from visiting Mazar-e-Shuhada – an enduring symbol of Kashmir’s resistance and resilience against authoritarianism, oppression, and injustice. The sacrifices of our martyrs are a testament that the spirit of Kashmiris cannot be crushed. Today even observing it in remembrance of the protesters martyred on this day has been criminalized.”
She further said,” On August 5, 2019, Jammu and Kashmir was dismembered, disempowered and stripped of everything that was sacrosanct for us. They intend to erase each one of our collective memories. But such assaults will only strengthen our determination to continue the fight for our rights and dignity.”
