Srinagar, July 13 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, on the eve of Kashmir Martyrs Day, Kashmiri liberation leaders, paying rich tributes to the martyrs of 1931, have reaffirmed Kashmiris pledge to continue the struggle for their right to self-determination.

The APHC Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Maulana Abbas Ansari, Professor Abdul Ghani Butt, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shaikh Abdul Aziz, Bilal Ghani Lone, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Yasmeen Raja, Zaffar Akbar Butt, Javed Ahmad Mir, Hakim Abdul Rashid, Muhammed Ashraf Sehrai and Farida Bahanji in their separate statements in Srinagar maintained that Kashmiris stood up against Dogra rule on July 13, 1931, and laid their lives for the freedom of their homeland. They added that the sacrifices of these martyrs would never be forgotten by the people of the occupied territory. The leaders pointed out that the people of Jammu and Kashmir could not achieve any sort of progress and prosperity till the Kashmir dispute was resolved in accordance with Kashmiris’ aspirations.

22 innocent Kashmiris were shot dead, one after the other, by the troops of Dogra Maharaja on July 13, 1931, in front of Srinagar Central Jail who were later buried at Naqashband Sahib in Srinagar.

The Executive Director of Kashmir Centre London, Professor Nazir Ahmed Shawl and Vice President of World Kashmir Freedom Movement, Nazir Ahmed Qureshi in their separate statements in London also paid tributes to the 1931 martyrs. They said that the Kashmiris’ liberation struggle would continue till they achieve their goal of freedom.