KNM chief attend maqbool day in pok

Maqbool Bhat remembered in Pak, Pakistan
Islamabad, Feb 11:Observing the martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed Maqbool Bhat, the Pak chapter of All Parties Hurriyat Conference paid glowing tributes to the martyred leader and arranged a special prayer meeting at its office in Islamabad today. Highlighting the sacrifices of the great patriot, the APHC leaders reiterated their pledge to accomplish the mission of Mabool Bhat, the proud son of the soil, who sacrificed his life for the collective cause of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Terming 11th February as a milestone of the ongoing liberation struggle they said that Bhat’s hanging in New Delhi’s infamous Tihar jail was in fact a judicial murder, which is highly condemnable. Besides the APHC leaders, the representatives of Kashmiri community based in Rawalpindi and Islamabad also attended the function. The holy Quran was also recited on the occasion. Tariq Naqqash adds from Muzaffarabad: Pro-independence political activists, students and people from other walks of life organized several programmes across Pakistan administered Kashmir to pay tributes to the Himalayan region’s great guerrilla leader, Muhammad Maqbool Bhat. The hard-line National Students Federation (NSF) organized a public rally at Upper Adda chowk here which was addressed, among others, by some leaders of Gilgit and Baltistan based groups, as members of the All Parties National Alliance. The alliance, protagonist of reunification and complete independence of the divided state of Jammu and Kashmir, comprises 11 outfits, six of which belong to Gilgit and Baltistan, commonly referred to as the Northern Areas.ÿ While eulogising the role and contribution of Bhat in the freedom struggle, the speakers said that Feb 11 should be declared a “national holiday” so that the great sacrifice of the selfless leader could be acknowledged at national level. They asked the Indian government to return Bhat’s mortal remains to the Kashmiris for its burial in Kashmir. Underlining the significance of independent Kashmir, the speakers vowed that the valiant Kashmiris would not leave any stone unturned to achieve their goal and thwart conspiracies aimed at dividing their motherland. Disparaging the 4-point proposal of President Pervez Musharraf on Kashmir, they alleged that he was not a sympathiser of the Kashmiris but author of plans to disintegrate their homeland. The speakers demanded “withdrawal of alien troops from both sides of the Line of Control so as to pave way for formation of Kashmir’s national army.” The initiation of trans-LoC truck service and opening of all natural routes between the divided parts of Kashmir was also demanded by them. They said the Northern Areas and PaK should be connected with each other through a metalled road. Mohammad Iqbal advocate, president of Karakorum National Movement (KNM) said a rally would be organized on August 13 from Astore to Muzaffarabad through the Neelum valley’s Shaunthar Pass, to ÿ commemorate the two killing of two NSF workers in a similar event last year. Prominent among the speakers were Shaukat Maqbool Butt (son of Maqbool Butt), Arif Shahid, Wajahat Hussain Mirza (son of Col Mirza Hassan Khan, conqueror of Gilgit), Prof Khalique, Bashir Lone, Mahmood Baig, Sajjad Jagwal, Zulfiqar Baig, Raja Saba, Ishtiaq Ahmed and Mubarak Awan.ÿ Earlier, in a the day a faction of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front also held a march from Press Club to the UN Military Observers Mission near Domel where they chanted pro-freedom and anti-India slogans. The JKLF leaders, including Advocate Parvez Ahmed and Basharat Noori, delivered a memorandum to the UN observers, asking the world body to impress upon the government of India to accede to the Kashmiris’ popular demand and return the remains of Butt so that he could be honourably buried in the Martyrs’ Graveyard in Srinagar.