Farooq Rehmani pays glowing tributes to sacrifices of innocent slain families of Surakote Poonch

ISLAMABAD, August 02 (SABAH): Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, Chairman Jammu and Kashmir People’s Freedom League (ex-Convener, APHC-AJK), has said that since Jammu and Kashmir has become history’s tragic state with its numerous shocking incidents while raising a civilized voice for political freedom and economic independence and giving great sacrifices for its integrity and individuality, it’s out of question to surrender its cause, character and historical identity.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Muhammad Farooq Rehmani said that it is only 13 million people of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, which have right to decide its future and they can not allow any one to change the character of the State, any where in any manner, however, the areas may have been dismembered in part or in whole by conspiracies in the post-independence India-Pakistan history. And, the stand and ideology that runs from blood veins of the people across the State and empowers them to fight for political freedom, integrity, identity and national glory without religious and racial prejudices from the day of 5 August 2019, across the State and overseas, defines Jammu and Kashmir as an indivisible geographical, political and diverse cultural entity.

Muhammad Farooq Rehmani said that this unbiased and national message must be heard on 5 August by all and sundry in the world. OIC and other civilized states believing in dignity of nations, states and their fundamental rights should extend and reiterate their full fledged support to our struggle on 5 August 2022.

He paid rich tributes to all those Kashmiris from one end of the State to another, who offered and are continuously offering sacrifices for the noble cause of freedom simultaneously, he drew attention of the world to the Surankot- Poonch massacre of 1998, when on the fateful intervening night of August 3 and 4, 1998, 19 persons–16 males and 13 females–were killed at the house of Hassan Muhammad Sheikh at Sailan village Surankote.

The police, in its FIR, had blamed foreign militants for carrying out the killings but an inquiry conducted by State Human Right Commission in October ruled out the involvement of the militants. The SHRC had recommended an inquiry into the case. The families of the victims had filed a petition for the re-investigation in the case before the High court the next year. Human rights groups had welcomed the court order. ” Today’s order is an indictment of Jammu and Kashmir Police that took no action for 14 years, and in fact sought to scuttle any fair investigations into the massacre,” JK Coalition of Civil Society alleged. The same became fate of many other cases in the past like Konan Pooshpora,Gow Kadal,Hawal, Zakoora, Bijbihara, Wandhama, Chattisinghpora, Nadimarg, Chota Bazar, Sopore, Handwara and Kupwara carnages, etc.”

Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, paying glowing tributes to the sacrifices of innocent slain families of Surakote Poonch, he stated that in view of these great human sacrifices and martyrdom of the Muslims of the State, no change in any manner not to speak of 5 August dismemberment of the State or merger of its regions in other parts as fragments or changes in nomenclature shall be acceptable but will cause chaos and anarchy everywhere. India must read writings on the wall and Pakistan as an advocate of the cause of right of self-determination should raise loudly and practically through its Parliament the voice and re open the debate in the Security Council, ” he conclude emphatically in his statement.

Muhammad Farooq Rehmani warned that the days of sluggishness and wishful thinking were over, those nations which safeguarded their narrow self interests, will not be forgiven by the laws of nature.

Therefore, every State and institution must stand by the cause of freedom for Jammu and Kashmir and urge upon the UN to implement the international resolutions to give freedom and the right of self-determination to the inhabitants of the State as it existed on the day of partition of India in 1947.