The Kashmiris of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), particularly the youth, remember freedom fighter Riyaz Naikoo each year by paying rich tribute and acknowledging his noble struggle for the liberation of IIOJK.
Riyaz Naikoo, who replaced Burhan Wani as the commander of Hizbul Mujahideen in 2016, was killed on May 6, 2020, at Pulwama.
Naikoo known as the ‘teacher-turned-freedom fighter’ had joined the freedom fighters in 2012, two years after around 100 people were martyred by Indian occupation troops during a restive summer marked by protests and violence.
He transformed from a peaceful teacher to an armed freedom fighter after witnessing the unending brutalities of the Indian Army against innocent Kashmiris.
A former maths teacher with a bounty of 1.2 million rupees ($15,800) on his head, Naikoo was an aide to Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani who embraced martyrdom in July 2016, leading to months of unrest.
Naikoo had a conviction that “the main intention of India’s Hindu nationalist government is not only to completely occupy Kashmir but also to erase any form of resistance that Kashmiris have.”
After Wani’s death, Naikoo helped give new life to the indigenous freedom struggle of the Kashmiri people.
Today, the entire IIOJK suffers at the hand of the Modi-led Indian regime, and Kashmiris have no option but to fight back to end the ruthless oppression.
Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control paid homage to Riyaz Naikoo for his valiant struggle and extreme sacrifice for the freedom of his people.
As a commander, Naikoo carried the legacy of the freedom movement of Wani, truly displaying that even death could not stop the ‘torch bearers’ of the indigenous freedom struggle in IIOJK from making the ultimate sacrifice in the line of their freedom struggle.
Kashmiris regard July as the month of Wani, and May as the month of Naikoo.
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