Tributes paid to Sheikh Abdul Aziz on eve of his martyrdom anniversary
Srinagar: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has paid rich tributes to prominent Kashmiri leader Shaheed-e-Azeemat Sheikh Abdul Aziz on the eve of his 18th martyrdom anniversary.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Sheikh Abdul Aziz was martyred by Indian troops on August 11, 2008, while he was leading a procession from Srinagar to the Line of Control against the economic blockade of the Kashmir Valley by Hindutva BJP/RSS Dogra extremists in Jammu.
APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, in a statement issued in Srinagar, said that Sheikh Abdul Aziz championed the Kashmir cause throughout his life and even rendered the ultimate sacrifice for it.
Other APHC leaders and parties, in their separate statements, highlighted the contribution and sacrifices of the martyred leader to the Kashmiris’ righteous demand for a plebiscite and freedom from Indian hegemony. They said that Sheikh Abdul Aziz and dozens of other leaders including Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq, Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Altaf Ahmed Shah, S. Hameed Wani and others were martyred in the territory to intimidate the Kashmiri people. They said that Sheikh Abdul Aziz was truly a man of honesty and integrity who devoted his entire life to the Kashmir cause.
The leaders said Sheikh Aziz was a visionary political leader who faced bullets on his chest instead of surrendering before Indian military might. They said that the best tribute to Sheikh Aziz and other Kashmiri martyrs is to carry forward the sacred cause for which they laid down their lives.
The APHC said thousands of peace- and freedom-loving leaders including Masarrat Aalam Butt, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Aasiya Andrabi and Nayeem Ahmed Khan are rotting in Indian jails. The lives of these leaders are in danger and the international community must come forward to save them.
Meanwhile, APHC-AJK chapter leaders, in their statements, said Sheikh Abdul Aziz was a determined, confident, steadfast and dedicated leader who will continue to inspire the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their struggle for freedom of their motherland from Indian subjugation. They said that the long services of Sheikh Aziz would be remembered in history in golden words.
