Digital truck campaign pays tribute to July 13, 1931 martyrs in New York
New York: The Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum organized a digital truck campaign in New York to pay tribute to the martyrs of July 13, 1931, on their 94th martyrdom anniversary.
According to Kashmir Media Service, digital screens mounted on trucks displayed powerful messages highlighting the plight of Kashmiris under Indian occupation. The messages read: “The blood of martyrs will not go in vain; Kashmiris will one day gain freedom from India. India has illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Indian forces are involved in the rape of women and the blinding of children with pellet guns. The voice of Kashmiris is being suppressed through force. Freedom of press has been strangled. India has turned Kashmir into a killing field. The sacrifices of martyrs will bear fruit. The United Nations must take notice of the deteriorating situation in occupied Kashmir.”
On the occasion, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Mir, President of the World Kashmir Awareness Forum, said that Kashmiris continue to make sacrifices for their freedom from Indian occupation. He added that since August 2019, the Modi regime has intensified its brutalities, but the people of Kashmir remain determined to fulfill the mission of their martyrs.
Chairman of the World Forum for Peace and Justice, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, recalled that on July 13, 1931, 22 innocent Kashmiris were shot dead by Dogra soldiers in front of the Srinagar Central Jail. “We are gathered here today to honor not just the martyrs of July 13 but all martyrs of Kashmir. India must abandon its stubbornness and grant Kashmiris their birthright – the right to self-determination – for which they have offered immense sacrifices,” he said.
Kashmiri-American scholar Dr. Imtiaz Khan stated that India cannot maintain its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir forever. “Kashmiris are resolute in their struggle for freedom, and they will achieve it,” he asserted.
Event organizer Raja Mukhtar said that Kashmiris are demanding their legitimate right to self-determination, and global powers must play their role in ensuring it is granted.
Speakers at the event, including Sardar Taj Khan, Sardar Sawar Khan, Sardar Zarif Khan, Sardar Shoaib Irshad, Sardar Zubair Khan, and Raja Liaqat Kayani, vowed to continue the freedom movement until its logical conclusion. They also demanded the unconditional release of APHC Chairman Masarrat Alam Butt, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Aasiya Andrabi, human rights defender Khurram Parvez, and other illegally detained Hurriyat leaders and activists.
It is worth recalling that on July 13, 1931, troops of Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh shot and killed 22 Kashmiri Muslims outside the Srinagar Central Jail. The victims were among thousands who had gathered during the trial of one Abdul Qadeer, who had called upon Kashmiris to rise against Dogra rule. When one young man stood up to give the call to prayer (Adhan), he was shot dead by the Maharaja’s forces. As another man stood to continue the call, he too was martyred. In this way, 22 men sacrificed their lives until the Adhan was completed.
Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and around the world observe July 13 every year as “Kashmir Martyrs’ Day” to honor their ultimate sacrifice.
