ISLAMABAD
The Kashmiris all over the world on Wednesday remembered the state-sponsored genocide of innocent Kashmiris on Kashmir Martyrs’ Day to shake the conscience of the so-called world community on massive human rights violations and atrocities of Indian occupant forces.
The Kashmir Martyrs’ Day is celebrated on July 13 every year for the past 91 years where on this historic day the people of Kashmir and Pakistan around the world commemorate the martyrdom of 22 Kashmiri muezzins who were killed outside the Srinagar Jail on July 13, 1931 by the soldiers of the then Maharaja of Kashmir while giving the call to prayer and numerous Muslims were also arrested.
It was the adhan (call for prayer) which was completed by 22 muezzins and the echo of this call to prayer was still rippling in the hearts of Kashmiris. The story of the July 13 sacrifices still keeps the Kashmiris’ spirit of independence fresh and alive.
This incident actually laid the foundation of the independence movement and this is the unforgettable day when Kashmiris pledged that they would achieve independence at all costs.
Even after this brutal incident, the Kashmiri people have been the victims of state-controlled oppression of Hindu Rashtra for the past nine decades but have not given up their just cause for right to self-determination.
Every year on July 13, the martyrs of Kashmir are paid homage all over the world and the Kashmiris also reiterate their commitment to freedom from Indian oppression. July 13 is undoubtedly a symbol of Kashmiris’ determination and struggle where despite state terrorism, India has consistently failed to stifle the voice of Kashmiris. The blood of one lakh Kashmiri martyrs is proof of the survival of the Kashmir Independence Movement.
Since August 5, 2019, unprovoked killings, fake encounters, arrests and house raids of Kashmiris have become a daily routine. The Indian illegal move of August 5, 2019 has not been recognized by the Kashmiris nor by the world. In 2019, the Modi government insulted the history of Kashmiris by announcing the end of Martyrs’ Day holiday in occupied Kashmir and the Indian government announced a public holiday on October 26 to mark the so-called ‘Accession Day’.
With each passing day, hatred for the Indian state is growing in the occupied valley where the Kashmiris are fighting for their rights in accordance with the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions. As per the official statistics, one million Indian troops are stationed in occupied Kashmir, out of which 300,000 troops occupy Srinagar alone.
There were numerous extrajudicial killings by Indian occupant forces and the rapes of more than 11,255 women have shaken the global conscience. During the ongoing month, brutal killings continued in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and 35 people have been martyred without any reason.
Moreover, nine people were caught and killed, 104 people were arrested without any crime and detained, six buildings were demolished, two women were widowed and six children were orphaned during the month of July, 2022. In many incidents of extrajudicial killing the Kashmiri youth was martyred in fake police encounters.
The blood of martyrs will not go in vain and Kashmiris’ dream of independence will one day come true. India is bent on converting the disputed territory from a Muslim-majority state to a Hindu-majority one, in violation of Article 49 of the Geneva Convention 4.
Due to this conflict, there is a serious humanitarian crisis in IIOJK at the present which has to be addressed by the international community.
Despite all these nefarious tactics, India has always failed to distort the identity and history of Kashmiris.
Today, human rights organizations around the world are protesting against Indian oppression in IIOJK. The bitter facts of India’s illegal occupation claimed that since 1989, 96,089 people were brutally martyred, 7,244 people were arrested and killed in custody,164,931 people were arrested and detained, 110,484 houses, buildings and offices were unjustifiably demolished whereas in those 33 years, 22,946 women became widows, 107,866 children were orphaned and 1,255 women were sexually abused by the Indian occupant forces.
