Srinagar, Feb 9: Paying rich tributes to Shaheed Muhammad Maqbool Bhat on his martyrdom anniversary being observed on February 11, the United Jehad Council chairman Syed Salahudin described him a ‘great martyr of the Kashmir freedom struggle.’  Describing February 11, 1984, as a milestone in the history of Kashmir, Salahudin urged the people of Kashmir to observe the day with utmost reverence and devotion to show to the whole world that they would not flinch from offering any sacrifice to take Maqbool Bhat and other martyrs’ mission to its logical end.
 According to a UJC statement issued by its spokesman Syed Sadaqat Hussain, Salahudin said, “Shaheed Bhat preferred to embrace gallows rather than submitting before the cruel imperialist. He did all this for the freedom of his homeland from India.”
 Meanwhile, Salahudin has strongly condemned the recent arrest and detention of Hurriyat leaders and other innocent youth, terming it frustration of Indian rulers and ‘puppet’ state government. He said, “Shabir Ahmad Shah and Nayeem Ahmad Khan were arrested and detained under PSA only for the crime that they were trying to forge unity in the ranks of Hurriyat Conference. These efforts are most disliked by Indian rulers.”
 Salahudin has strongly condemned the arrest of Kashmiri youth and their leaders and killing of youth and teenagers in unprovoked firing by the armed forces. “Such coercive tactics can never keep the Kashmiris from ongoing freedom struggle,” he said.