Bhat pays homage to Kashmir martyrs

The Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement (JKSM), Altaf Ahmed Bhat, has paid rich tributes to prominent martyred Hurriyat leaders, Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq, Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone, Abdul Ghani Bhat, martyrs of Hawal and all martyrs of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Bhat said that Mirwaiz Farooq was assassinated by unidentified gunmen at his residence in Srinagar on May 21, 1990. On the same day, over 70 mourners were killed when Indian troops opened indiscriminate fire on his funeral procession in the Hawal area of Srinagar.

Twelve years later on May 21, 2002, unknown attackers shot dead Khawaja Lone when he was returning after addressing a gathering at the Martyrs’ Graveyard in Srinagar.

On May 14, 2004, the well-known businessman of Kashmir, the philanthropist, Bhat was martyred by unknown gunmen.

The JKSM chairman, in a statement, said Farooq, Lone, Bhat and other martyrs of the freedom movement are the heroes of the Kashmiri people. He said the Kashmiris on the martyrdom anniversaries of these leaders vow to accomplish the mission of their martyrs at all costs.

Bhat added that these noble souls sacrificed their lives for a great and sacred cause of freedom. He said, they were torch-bearers of the freedom movement, and their struggle, teachings and sacrifices are role models for the future generations of Kashmir. “Besides being a visionary leader, Farooq was a great Islamic scholar, orator and preacher who through his powerful and soul-stirring sermons educated and organised oppressed Kashmiris to raise their voice against the Indian oppression,” he said.

He said that Lone was a great political leader who struggled for a peaceful solution to the Kashmir issue. He was a very brave, courageous and fearless leader.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2023.