Monitoring Desk
WASHINGTON: Speakers at an event held to pay tribute to Kashmiri leader Maqbool Butt on the 39th anniversary of his martyrdom said that he sacrificed his life for the cause of independence of Kashmiri people from India’s occupation.
At a gathering, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, chairman of the ‘World Forum for Peace and Justice,’ said Maqbool Butt was a selfless and inspirational soul.
Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai said before his hanging on trumped-up charges in New Delhi’s famous Tihar jail Butt wrote his will, saying, ‘There will be many Maqbool Butts that will come and go, but the freedom struggle in Kashmir valley should continue.'”
“Today,” Fai stressed, “the whole Kashmiri nation is following the footsteps of Maqbool Butt for the liberation of their motherland: Jammu and Kashmir.”
Underscoring that the great mission of Maqbool Butt is alive. Dr. Fai said, “Today, he is an inspiration to millions of Kashmiris and those striving for human rights, human dignity, and the right to UN-committed self-determination.”
Maqbool Butt was an inspiration
Secretary-general of the Kashmiri American Welfare Association (KAWA), Sardar Zarif Khan, said that Maqbool Butt believed in the Kashmir cause passionately.
He said that killing innocent civilians in Indian-occupied Kashmir should shake the conscience of all peace-loving people. He denounced India’s campaign to muzzle the media and demanded the right to assemble and freedom of expression in Indian-held Kashmir.
Zarif Khan said the ultimate sacrifice of Maqbool Butt would not go in vain. He said that the blood of Kashmiri martyrs brings the goal of independence and justice nearer.
Joint secretary of KAWA, Shoaib Irshad, said that Maqbool Butt was a charismatic leader whose great sacrifice will inspire Kashmiris for ages.
Irshad stressed that the brutalities of the Indian forces could not and should not go unnoticed. “It is the responsibility of the Kashmiri diaspora to be the voice of voiceless people in the corridors of powers all over the world.”
In conclusion, the gathering demanded that the Indian government return the mortal remains of Shaheed Maqbool Bhat and Shaheed Afzal Guru to their relatives in Kashmir.
