Govt & people of Pakistan observe martyrdom anniversaries of Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq & Abdul Ghani Lone: FO Spokesperson

ISLAMABAD, May 21 (SABAH): The Government and people of Pakistan paid homage to Shaheed Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Farooq and Shaheed Abdul Ghani Lone who were martyred by Indian Occupation Forces on 21 May 1990 and 21 May 2002 respectively. Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) on Saturday commemorated the significant contributions of these iconic Kashmiri leaders to the struggle for self-determination, on their death anniversaries.

According to a statement issued by Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad on Saturday, a shutdown was observed on Saturday in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on the call of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) to mark the solemn occasion.

He said that on this somber day, we also remember the sacrifice of the victims of Hawal massacre in which 70 innocent Kashmiris carrying the coffin of Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq were indiscriminately fired upon and martyred by the Indian Occupation Forces. Pakistan salutes the courage of Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Farooq, Abdul Ghani Lone and countless other Kashmiri martyrs, who have laid down their lives in the pursuit of freedom from India’s illegal occupation.

FO Spokesperson said that the lack of accountability for the gruesome murder of the innocent Kashmiris and their leaders has been a festering injustice and a chilling example of the brazen impunity which defines the deplorable human rights situation in the IIOJK. Regrettably, the nefarious Indian campaign of persecution of Kashmiri people and their leaders has not abated. India’s shameless persecution of the true representatives of the Kashmiri people, as manifested by the recent conviction of Muhammad Yasin Malik in fictitious cases, continues at an alarming rate.

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that Pakistan once again urges India to halt its state-sponsored terrorism in the IIOJK, immediately cease human rights violations, release all Kashmiri leaders detained on trumped-up charges, lift the inhuman military siege, and let the people of IIOJK exercise their right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

FO spokesperson said that as we honour the invaluable sacrifices of innocent Kashmiris today, we once also call upon the international community, international human rights organizations and particularly the United Nations and its human rights machinery to take cognizance of the dire humanitarian situation in IIOJK, hold India accountable for its reprehensible conduct, and ensure a just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.