ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Kashmir Martyrs’ Day is being observed on Wednesday to commemorate the martyrdom of 22 Kashmiris by the forces of Dogra ruler on July 23, 1931.
To mark the day, the people will assemble at the Martyrs’ Graveyard at Naqshband Sahib in Srinagar to offer Fateha for the departed souls.
The 22 martyred Kashmiris were part of thousands of people assembled outside Central Jail in Srinagar on July 13, 1931 during the Court proceedings against Abdul Qadeer who had asked the people to defy the Dogra rule.
At the time of Namaz-e-Zuhr, a young man started Azaan and was shot dead by the Dogra soldiers. Another took his place and he too was martyred by the troops. In this way, 22 youth lost their lives till the Azaan was completed.
Meanwhile, a complete shutdown is being observed in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) today to mark the Kashmir Martyrs’ Day.
The call for the strike was given by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and supported by all pro-freedom organizations.
In a Twitter statement, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that Kashmir Martyrs’ Day is a reminder of sacrifices which Kashmiris have rendered for their inalienable and UN-sanctioned right to self-determination.
The prime minister said that flame of freedom from the Indian yoke has been kept alive by the generations of Kashmiris in the face of Indian tyranny and oppression.