Vice Chairman APHC Shabbir Shah urges Kashmiris to observe complete shutdown on September 01  

NEW DELHI, August 28 (SABAH): The All Parties Hurriyat Conference incarcerated Vice Chairman, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, has urged the people of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) to observe complete shutdown on September 01 and march towards Hyderpora in Srinagar to pay tributes to the iconic freedom leader, Syed Ali Gilani on his first martyrdom anniversary.

Shabbir Ahmed Shah, who also heads the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party, in a message from Tihar jail, highlighting the martyred leader’s peerless contribution and his indomitable role in the Kashmiris’ ongoing struggle for right to self-determination, said that Syed Ali Gilani was an epitome of honesty and integrity who devoted his entire life for the Kashmir cause.

Recalling his years long association with Gilani, he said, “I have had an honour and privilege to work with Gilani Sahib, we endured imprisonments together, he was truly an iron man of Kashmir who never compromised on his principled stance on Kashmir dispute despite going through trials and tribulations at the hands of the Indian authorities.”

He said that Syed Ali Gilani would be remembered forever in the history of Kashmir as a hero who championed the Kashmiris’ legitimate cause with utmost courage and fearlessness. “During his life-long struggle Gilani Sahib along with his family has suffered immense hardships”, Shabbir Shah said, adding that Gilani was imprisoned, tortured and vilified and subjected to house detention for over a decade but he stood firm as a rock in the face of immense adversity.

“Gilani Sahib is no longer with us but the legacy he had left behind will continue to guide and inspire Kashmir’s present and incoming generations”, he said and added that it was unfortunate that the Indian occupation authorities refused to give him a public funeral.

“Shameless snatching of Geelani Sahib’s body followed by secret burial was a reckless display of fascism that has virtually taken over India today”, he said. He appealed to the people of Kashmir to assemble at Hyderpora graveyard to pay homage to the great leader of the Kashmir freedom movement. He also urged the imams and ulema to pay tributes and offer special prayers in mosques for the martyred leader.