Islamabad: Speakers at a seminar in Islamabad paid glowing tributes to Shaheed-e-Azeemat Sheikh Abdul Aziz on his 17th martyrdom anniversary.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the conference was organized by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK) chapter in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Cell. The event was chaired by APHC-AJK Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi, while the Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq, attended as the chief guest. The conference was attended by a large number of Hurriyat leaders, and political, social, and religious personalities from Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, as well as people from various walks of life.
Speakers lauded Sheikh Abdul Aziz for his unparalleled sacrifices for the Kashmir freedom movement, describing his courageous role, unshakable resolve, and unmatched devotion as a golden chapter in the history of the struggle. They said Sheikh Abdul Aziz spent most of his life in the field of resistance, enduring the hardships of Indian jails and torture cells, yet India failed to weaken his faith and determination. He was a staunch advocate of Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan and ultimately laid down his life for the cause.
The speakers recalled that in 2008, in response to the economic blockade of the Kashmir Valley by extremist Hindus of Jammu, Sheikh Abdul Aziz led tens of thousands of Kashmiris in a march towards the Line of Control. On August 11, when the march reached Uri, the Indian occupation forces opened direct fire, critically injuring him. He later succumbed to his wounds, attaining the honour of martyrdom without letting go of the flag of freedom until his last breath.
Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq reiterated that the core issue with India is the freedom of Jammu and Kashmir, and once this is resolved, no other dispute will remain. He stressed that the Kashmiris demand the right to self-determination in its complete form, not partially. “The Pakistan Army is our protector, while the Indian Army is an occupying force—this distinction must remain clear,” he said.
APHC-AJK Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi emphasized that the people of Jammu and Kashmir consider a UN-mandated plebiscite as the only solution to the dispute. He made it clear that the Kashmiris will not accept any phased or compromise-based settlement. He added that the stance of the AJK Prime Minister reflects the collective position of the Kashmiri people, detainees, and Hurriyat leadership.
Other speakers congratulated the Pakistani armed forces on their recent success against India and called for intensified diplomatic efforts to resolve the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
At the conclusion, participants reaffirmed the resolve of the Kashmiris to continue the mission of Shaheed Sheikh Abdul Aziz and all martyrs of Jammu and Kashmir until its logical end. They urged the United Nations, the OIC, and international human rights organizations to take immediate notice of Indian state terrorism in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and to take practical steps to ensure the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.
The event was attended by former AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, former Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami AJK Abdul Rasheed Turabi, former AJK President Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob, MNA Syed Hafeez-ud-Din, Senator Gen (retd) Abdul Qayyum, Gilgit-Baltistan government spokesperson Faizullah Firaq, senior columnist Mazhar Barlas, veteran journalist Abid Abbasi, Hurriyat leaders Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, Mehmood Ahmed Saghar, Syed Yousuf Naseem, Syed Faiz Naqshbandi, Advocate Parvez Ahmed, Mir Tahir Masood, Muhammad Hussain Khateeb, Altaf Hussain Wani, Sardar Siddique Khan, Ghulam Nabi Butt, Raja Parvez, Hassan al-Banna, Madam Shameem Shawl, Dawood Khan, Sheikh Yaqoob, Muhammad Altaf Butt, Sheikh Abdul Mateen, Imtiaz Wani, Javed Iqbal, Raja Shaheen, Zahid Safi, Zahid Ashraf, Syed Ejaz Rehmani, Mian Muzaffar, Abdul Majeed Lone, Sheikh Abdul Majeed, Zahid Mujtaba, Syed Gulshan, Adeel Mushtaq, Manzoor Ahmed Dar, Muhammad Ashraf Dar, Muhammad Shafi Dar, Khurshid Mir, Abdul Hameed Lone, Abdul Majeed Mir, Manzoor Ahmed Shah, Nazir Ahmed Butt, Imtiaz Butt, Khalid Shabbir, Abdul Rasheed Butt, and Mushtaq Ahmed Butt, among others.
