Sacrifices galore as Kashmiris remember Mirwaiz, Lone

Tens of thousands of people in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir have been deprived of their family members for spearheading the struggle for the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people. The sacrifices range from ordinary citizens to Hurriyat stalwarts but Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone are head and shoulders above many whose sacrifices could never be forgotten.

Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq was shot dead by unidentified gunmen who barged into his house in Srinagar on 21st May in 1990. Seventy mourners were killed when Indian troops fired at his funeral procession in Hawal area of the city. Twelve years later, on the same day in 2002, Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone was martyred by unknown attackers, when he was returning home after addressing a gathering held at Mazar-e-Shuhada in Srinagar.

Indian fascist regime since partition of sub-continent has been applying nefarious tactics to eliminate the Kashmiri leadership. The recent shocking custodial killing of Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, in Udhampur Jail in Jammu points to the fact that the people of Kashmir have genuine apprehensions over detention of Hurriyat leaders and activists amid rise in COVID-19 cases in India.

The freedom struggle of Kashmiris is adorned with the blood of martyrs and therefore no power on earth could defeat it through oppressive measures. Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone represented the essence of unity and oneness of the Kashmiri people. They strived and sacrificed their lives for this sacred cause and got their names written with honor and dignity in the annals of Kashmir history.

Every year, Hurriyat leaders and organizations pay glowing tributes to Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone, as well as the martyrs of Hawal on their martyrdom anniversaries respectively on May 21. The authorities in IIOJK impose curfew and other restrictions in Srinagar to prevent a march towards the Martyrs’ Graveyard at Eidgah in the city. Since 2010 authorities in IIOJK have barred congregational ‘fateha khawani’ at the Martyrs’ Graveyard in Eidgah. The occupation authorities deploy Indian troops and police personnel in strength in the city to stop people from conducting the march. The stringent curbs imposed in entire downtown by the authorities to foil the Eidgah rally where leaders and people want to pay tributes to the martyrs and reaffirm their pledge to carry forward the ongoing freedom movement clearly indicate that India’s fascist rulers are afraid of people’s power and commitment towards the freedom struggle and that makes them take these totalitarian measures. India’s fascist regime led by rightwing Baharayta Janata Party doesn’t have the courage to face Kashmiris on political turf.

Meanwhile, on the call of APHC and other Hurriyat organizations every year a strike is observed on May 21 to commemorate the martyrdom anniversaries of Moulvi Muhammad Farooq and Khawaja Abdul Gani Lone in which Hurriyat leaders reiterate their commitment to the mission of the martyrs and pledge that no matter how tough the repression goes, people will continue to strive for their rights till the final goal is achieved.

Hurriyat Forum Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq once in a media interview reviving the memories of the past said that he was just 16 years old when old Srinagar city roads were painted red on May 21, 1990 after the assassination of his father. “I was just 16 and had passed my SSC examination when on that fateful day, I not only lost my father but innocent people were also butchered by forces. I had in fact obtained an engineering form and was keen to become an engineer. Everything changed after that fateful day, but still I thank people and the pro-freedom leadership particularly Syed Ali Gilani and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone for encouraging and reposing trust in me,” the Hurriyat forum chairman said and added May 21 in Kashmir’s history though brings grim pictures of past yet it strengthens our resolve to stand firm for Kashmir cause.

Molvi Mohammad Farooq and Abdul Ghani Lone are towering personalities who renounced Indian politics and vehemently supported freedom struggle and never compromised their demand of freedom from Indian bondage. They laid down their lives for this sacred cause and May 21 is a reminder to the people of Kashmir that the leadership has also made great sacrifices for their oppressed people.