Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah Thursday set out on foot to visit his office after being allegedly denied security on the occasion of Martyr's Day on July 13. “Dear Jammu Kashmir Police, don’t think that refusing to give me my escort vehicles & ITBP cover will stop me. I’ll walk to where I have to get to & that’s exactly what I’m doing now,” Omar wrote in a tweet this morning.
Also read:Restrictions mark martyrs day in Kashmir
Omar also put a video of him walking on foot along the Gupkar road in Srinagar with his personal body guards walking along with him. In another tweet, Omar said that he reached the NC office on the banks of Jhelum adding he will “go ahead with my programme.” He further said that the Jammu and Kashmir Police has “stopped a lot of my senior colleagues from coming to the JKNC office today by adopting the same tactics of stopping them in their homes”.
“Now that I’ve got to the office and will go ahead with my programme you will send everything,” Omar said. “The fact is Jammu and Kashmir Police has stopped a lot of my senior colleagues from coming to the JKNC office today by adopting the same tactics of stopping them in their homes. Notable amongst those stopped are Abdul Rahim Rather Sb, Ali Mohammad Sagar sb, Ali Mohd Dar Sb and others,” he wrote in a tweet.
July 13 has been traditionally observed as Martyr's Day in Jammu and Kashmir to mark “the killing of 22 Kashmiri unarmed civilians at the hands of the armed forces of Maharaja Hari Singh the last Dogra ruler of Jammu and Kashmir in central jail area of Srinagar in 1931.” Until August 2019, when the Centre scrapped Jammu and Kashmir's special status, July 13 was also a holiday in the official calendar.
Earlier, the J&K government, mainstream political parties and separatist parties used to observe the Martyr's Day. The graves of the victims would be adorned with flowers and the leaders would offer their prayers while visiting the graves. Meanwhile, life remained normal in Kashmir with mainstream political parties paying tributes to the martyrs of July 13, 1931.
While traffic plied on the roads as normal and shops remained open, the gates of the Martyrs’ Graveyard were closed by the authorities. Security forces personnel were deployed along the roads leading to the martyrs' graveyard in Srinagar's downtown. The graveyard, called Martyrs’ Graveyard, is located on the lawns of a shrine built in the memory of central Asian Sufi saint, Khwaja Sayed Bahauddin Naqashband Bukhari, the founder of the Sufi Naqshbandi order. Jammu & Kashmir Awami Action Committee (AAC), Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC), Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (AP) issued statements to pay tribute to the martyrs.
AAC, in its statement, said, "Since its inception in 1963 and before that when Muslim Conference was formed, the party has been commemorating this day, under the leadership of Mohajir -e-Millat Mirwaiz Moulana MohammadYousuf Shah and then under Shaheed -e- Millat Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Farooq as youm -e -shuhada -e- Kashmir (Martyrs day) and since then under the chairmanship of its detained leader Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Umar Farooq”.
“This day was the watershed moment in the contemporary history of J&K, when 22 Kashmiris were killed in cold blood by the rulers of the day leading to the launch of a political agitation by the people of Kashmir for their empowerment through realisation of their political rights and aspirations," it said. National Conference (NC) President and Member of the Parliament from Srinagar Dr Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Omar Abdullah also paid glowing tributes to the martyrs of 13th July, 1931 on their 92nd Martyrdom anniversary.
"The undying thirst for dignity cannot be suppressed by injustice and the 13th July Martyrs proved that non-violence and persistence always prevails over oppression and tyranny in the end. I pay my humble tributes to the martyrs and make a fervent appeal to the people in general and our youth in particular to be well informed about the history of our struggle against oppression and tyranny,” Dr. Farooq Abdullah said.
Omar Abdullah asserted that the “sacrifices of the martyrs of 13th July will continue to be a beacon of humanity’s fight for dignity and justice”."I pay my humble tributes to our great martyrs who laid down their lives to pave way for a struggle against despotism and tyranny. It was their sacrifice that proved a turning point in our history and inspired millions of oppressed Kashmiris to rise in unison against oppression. 13th July will always be a day where the people of Kashmir will reiterate their commitment to overcoming evil with kindness, non-violence and peace," he said.
PDP, in its statement, said that "The martyrs of 13th July with their blood wrote a new chapter in the history of J&K which triggered a yearning amongst us all to fight for a life of dignity. As we pay homage we also reiterate our resolve to strive for restoration of J&K’s dignity & democracy." JKAP chief Altaf Bukhari said, "Honoring the brave martyrs who sacrificed their lives on 13th July 1931, we remember their unwavering courage and commitment towards justice. Their sacrifice will forever be etched in our hearts as a reminder to uphold the values of freedom, equality, and peace."
