FO pays tribute to slain Kashmiri freedom fighter Burhan Wani

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs paid tribute on Thursday to the slain Kashmir freedom fighter Burhan Wani, praising his contribution to the ongoing struggle for the right to self-determination of Kashmiris.

"On the fifth martyrdom anniversary of prominent Kashmiri youth leader Burhan Muzaffar Wani, we pay tribute to his selfless contribution to the just struggle for right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people, and through him to the oppressed people of IIOJK," the FO spokesperson said on Twitter.

"Burhan Wani, through his sacrifice, has come to rightly symbolize the indigenous Kashmiri struggle against "the illegal Indian occupation. Since his martyrdom in 2016, hundreds of Kashmiri youth have lost their lives at the hands of Indian occupation forces in IIOJK," it added.

The spokesperson maintained that "This day should serve as a reminder to India to end its egregious human rights violations in #IIOJK, and take concrete steps towards resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute as per the UNSC resolutions. We also call upon the int’l community to play its due role in this regard."

On July 8, 2016, Indian troops killed the young Kashmiri freedom fighter in the southern region following which mass protests gripped almost every corner of the occupied valley. Wani’s death sparked clashes that left 90 civilians dead in IoK.

Read OIC SG underscores principal stance on J&K dispute: FO

India responded with brute force to quell the widespread protests. Surprisingly, New Delhi blamed Pakistan for fuelling the unrest.

Burhan joined the armed struggle on October 16, 2010, to avenge the humiliation when he was severely beaten by Indian troops along with his brother Khalid Muzaffar Wani, who was later killed by the Indian army in custody on April 13, 2015, for meeting Burhan in Tral forest.

Since 2011, Burhan was popular on social media as a commander of the largest indigenous Kashmiri freedom fighters organisation -- Hizbul Mujahideen.

Burhan used the latest technology and the internet to promote the Kashmiri cause on social media that sent shock waves across top ranks of the Indian army in New Delhi and gave sleepless nights to the New Delhi’s security establishment for more than six years.

In May 2019, Indian forces also killed Zakir Rashid Bhat, 25, also known as Zakir Musa. He was seen as a successor to Wani