GK NEWS SERVICE
Kupwara, Feb 11: Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Liberation Party chairman
Hashim Qureshi on Sunday said that Muhammad Maqbool Bhat, the JKLF
founder, was pushed to gallows because he demanded an independent
Kashmir.
Speaking to a public rally in Kupwara town on the death anniversary of
Bhat, Qureshi said, “Unlike present leaders, Bhat’s motive was not
Chief Ministership but freedom of Kashmir. He was a public leader and
his only crime was that he sought justice for hundreds and thousands of
Kashmiris. Bhat and his mission of independence will always remain
alive in the hearts of people and the only way to pay tribute to this
great leader is to see through his dream of an independent Kashmir.”
Qureshi said, “There are leaders in Kashmir who associate the mission
of Bhat with violence and are bent upon dividing the people in the name
of religion. They are the worst enemies of our nation, they send their
sons and daughters abroad for higher education and jobs, while
civilians are used as scapegoats in the name of Jihad.”
He said,
“In 1970 when gun would have solved the Kashmir issue, the movement was
crushed, and now when we have got another chance to resolve the Kashmir
problem by common voice, we must not let this opportunity go.”
“Me
and Maqbool Bhat were the first Kashmiris in 1970 to take gun and fight
for the cause of our nation, but Pakistan crushed our moment,” Qureshi
claimed.
“People who are nowadays saying no to gun are the same
ones who supported it earlier. The recent proposal suggested by Mirwaiz
Umar Farooq is no different but the same I suggested 15 years ago in a
local daily newspaper,” he added.
Claiming to be the lone companion
of Maqbool Bhat, Qureshi said, “Bhat Sahib belonged to a rich family
and could have led a luxurious life but instead he chose a path that
only a brave man does, and now it is our duty to accomplish his
mission.”
Amid pro-freedom slogans by the people, Qureshi said,
“Jammu and Kashmiri is not only the land of Muslims but every one
living from Gilgat to Lakhanpur, and these people have the right to
decide their own fate and rule their own land.”
He demanded that
“hundreds of Kashmiris who went missing in the custody of security
agencies should be released and culprits severely punished.”
“J&K police consists of some honest officials but there are
elements in the police who have given a bad name to the institution.
They should be identified and brought to the book. And STF should be
merged in state police,” he added.
