The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has commemorated the 9th martyrdom anniversary of popular youth leader Burhan Muzaffar Wani and his associates today, reaffirming their commitment to the Kashmiris’ struggle for right to self-determination against India’s illegal occupation.
Burhan Wani, along with two associates, was martyred in a staged encounter by Indian troops in Kokernag area of Islamabad district on July 8, 2016.
Wani’s extrajudicial killing sparked a months-long mass uprising across the occupied territory, during which Indian troops indiscriminately fired bullets, pellets, and teargas shells, martyring over 150 innocent protesters.
The APHC leaders and parties including spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, Muhammad Haseeb Wani, Maulana Mus’ab Nadvi, Fayaz Hussain Jafari, Syed Sibte Shabbir Qummi and Advocate Imtiyaz Ahmed in their statements in Srinagar praised Burhan Wani for injecting renewed vigor into the struggle for freedom.
Emphasizing Wani’s enduring place in the hearts of Kashmiris, rooted in his deep connection with Islam and Pakistan, they asserted these foundations are integral to Kashmiris’ ongoing freedom movement.
The leaders further stated that the sacrifices of Burhan Wani and other Kashmiri youth are a precious asset of the freedom movement, adding it is the duty of the Kashmiri people to safeguard this asset and continue their struggle against Indian occupation until achieving their sacred goal of freedom. They underscored that lasting peace in the region hinges on a just resolution of the longstanding Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
They dismissed India’s hopes of suppressing the sentiment of Kashmiris, asserting that every martyr only strengthens the resolve of Kashmiris. The leaders asserted that justice will ultimately prevail for the Kashmiri cause. They emphasized that Burhan Wani’s lasting legacy will continue to inspire the youth of IIOJK, recognizing his profound contribution and sacrifice as a pivotal chapter in the history of Kashmir’s struggle for freedom.
