Srinagar, May 21 (KPN): In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference has paid rich tribute to prominent martyred Hurriyat leaders, Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone, on their martyrdom anniversaries.
Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq was assassinated by unidentified gunmen at his residence in Srinagar on 21st May in 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 in 2002, unknown attackers had shot dead Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone when he was returning after addressing a gathering at the Martyrs’ Graveyard in Srinagar.
The APHC Vice Chairman, Ghulam Ahmed Gulzar, in a statement issued in Srinagar said, Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq, Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone and other martyrs of the freedom movement are the heroes of Kashmiri people. He said the Kashmiris on the martyrdom anniversaries of these leaders vow to accomplish the mission of their martyrs at all costs.
The APHC leader said 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.
The Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee (AAC) and Anjuman Nusrat-ul-Islam have paid rich tribute to prominent martyred Hurriyat leaders, Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone, on their martyrdom anniversaries.
The AAC in a statement issued in Srinagar said its executive members, office bearers and workers participated in the special prayer meeting, while the head of the organisation Mirwaiz Umar Farooq could not participate even in this prayer meeting due to his continuous illegal house detention for nearly four years.
In the meeting, the participants said, “The Shaheed-e-Millat till his martyrdom selflessly and fearlessly acted as the spokesperson of his people and safeguarded their religious, milli, political and social rights; and his contribution to Kashmiri society is unforgettable.”
The participants expressed deep regret and resentment over the continued illegal and arbitrary detention of the head of the organisation, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq for nearly four years; and hailed his patience and perseverance all these years.
“In the end, prayers were offered for the forgiveness and elevation of ranks of Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq, Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone and the Hawal martyrs of May 21, 1990,” the statement said.
The Anjuman Nusrat-ul-Islam organised a special prayer meeting to commemorate its former president Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq, in which the teachers, students and staff of the schools run by this more than a century-old educational institution participated.
Speaking on the occasion, General Secretary of the Anjuman, Khurshid Ahmad Qadri Education Secretary Professor Ghulam Muhammad Khan and Mufti Ghulam Rasool Samoon said that Mirwaiz Allama Rasool Shah (RA) started the campaign of educational awareness in Kashmir by founding the Anjuman Nusrat-ul-Islam in 1890.
With the passage of time, the precious role played by other Mirwaizeen of Kashmir during their respective presidency in taking forward the educational mission of the Anjuman is a golden chapter of the academic history of Kashmir, they said.
The speakers said that among the sincere and able teachers of the Anjuman were a certain number of Kashmiri Pandits who devoted all their abilities to the education and training of Muslim children without discrimination.
It is worth mentioning here that the students of Islamia School were taken to the Jamia Masjid, Srinagar, for prayers, under the supervision of Pandit Narendra Nath (Drill Master) who regularly used to make attendance of the students and marked the absent ones.
The speakers paid tribute in wonderful words to Mirwaiz Farooq for his “immense and invaluable educational, reformative and constructive services”.
Mirwaiz Moulvi Muhammad Farooq has done much to equip the Kashmiris, especially the daughters of the millat, with the jewel of education. “Such a vision of this great leader reflects his intellectual insight,” they said.
“Mirwaiz Umar Farooq could not attend the prayer meeting due to his continued illegal house detention for nearly four years,” the statement deplored.
APHC leader Bilal Ghani Lone paid homage to Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone on his martyrdom anniversary.
As per the statement, Fateha Khawani was held at the Lone house in Sanat Nagar where Bilal Lone along with his colleagues gathered to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone.
During the Fateha Khwani gathering, Bilal addressed the audience, shedding light on various aspects of Shaheed Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone’s remarkable life and portrayed him as a true nationalist and a leader who dedicated his life to the welfare of Kashmir and its people.
APHC leaders Syed Bashir Indrabi and Khawja Firdous in their separate statement in Srinagar, paying rich tributes to Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone, said that the sacrifices of the Kashmiri martyrs would not go waste and the Kashmir freedom movement would be taken to its logical conclusion at all costs.
