With the pro-Pakistan lobby still observed Kashmir Martyrs Day across globe to keep K-issue boiling, the next generation of Jammu and Kashmir seems completely rejecting the July 13 as ‘Martyrs Day’ with sharing numerous posts on social media platforms in favour of native slain soldiers and civilians fighting militancy.
Using hash-tag, #Kashmir_Martyrs_Day, social media handless operating from Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, shared posts on July 31- ‘Martyr Days’, which was observed as officials holiday in Jammu and Kashmir till 2019, until the reorganization of the erstwhile state and scrapping of holiday.
However the social media users in Jammu and Kashmir completely rejected it and termed the native slain soldiers and civilians as real heroes and martyrs of Kashmir.
Number of social media handles on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc flooded with posts in favour people like Maqbool Sherwani, Brigadier Rajinder Singh Jamwal, Rifleman Aurangzeb Khan, Lieutenant UmmerFayaz , Rifleman Bashir Ahmed War, Rifleman Abdul Hamid Chara, Naik Ashraf Rather, DySPMohamamd Ayub Pandit, Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani, JKP Constable Waseem Ahmed Wani, Capitan Tushar Mahajan, Lieutenant Sushil Khajuria, DySP Aman Thakur, SPO, Raiyaz Ahmed Thoker and others. The social users termed the soldiers, policemen and civilians, who were brutally killed by Pakistan sponsored terrorists as real martyrs.
Sharing picture of 22-year old Lieutenant UmmerFayaz, who was abducted and killed in May 2017 by Lashkar-e-Taiba and nd Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists in Kashmir, a user with hash-tag #Kashmir_Martyrs_Day wrote , “We remember the brave souls who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of Kashmir. Their courage and determination will never be forgotten”.
Another user wrote, Kashmir has been fighting Pakistan sponsored militancy since 1947 and our heroes are Maqbool Sherwani and Brigadier Rajinder Singh Jamwal, Maha Vir Chakra, who also remembered as the Saviour of Kashmir, for successfully delayed the invasion of Pashtuns tribesmen from Pakistan in and pave way for Indian Army to launch operation.
Another SM user said hundreds of youth gave their blood to the land to keep the tri-colour flying high in Jammu and Kashmir. People like Rifleman Aurangzeb Khan, DySPMohamamd Ayub Pandit, Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani, Captain Tushar Mahajan, Lieutenant Sushil Khajuria and DySP Aman Thakur are still the inspirations.
Earlier, the erstwhile state of J&K observed ‘Martyrs’ Day’ on 13 July as a state holiday to mark a 1931 protest against the rule of Maharaja Hari Singh in the then princely state but after reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, the holiday was scrapped.
On that day, 22 people were killed in an anti-government protest outside the Srinagar central jail to protest against the arrest of Abdul Qadeer Gazi, who was seen as a crusader against Singh’s Dogra regime. The people of Kashmir started observing Martyrs’ Day from 1932 onward. After J&K acceded to India in 1947, the day was incorporated in the official list of holidays.
Usually, 13 July would see important government functionaries, including the governor, chief ministers, cabinet ministers, heads of various political parties and even separatist groups, visit the martyrs’ graveyard or Mazaar-e-Shuhada to pay homage. However, this was undone last year when the newly-created union territories of J&K and Ladakh removed 13 July as a state holiday from the official calendar after the Article 370 was scrapped on 5 August 2019.
In the year 2019, former and last governor of the erstwhile state of J&K, Satypal Malik, had skipped the official ‘Martyrs’ Day’ function. His predecessor N.N. Vohra had also skipped the official function for the first time in 2018, but paid homage to the slain men and women.
However, major regional political parties in the state, including the Peoples Democratic Party, National Conference, Apni Party, CPM paid tributes to the martyrs of 1931.
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