New Delhi: The Contentious History of July 13, 1931, which is observing as “Martyrs’ Day” in India-Ocupied Kashmir, Triggered A Political Battleline in the legislative Assembly’s Budget Session on Wednesday When The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mem Stage to Walkout, The wire saying.
He said that all 28 BJP members left the assembly after President Abdul Rahim eliminated the comments made by the opposition leader, Sunil Sharma of BJP, after describing the 22 purse killed by the forces of Dogra in July 1931 as “traitors.”
The leader of Hurriyat, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, condemned Sharma’s “scandalous comments”, saying that Kashmir Muslims were “killed in cold blood for defending the rights and dignity of the oppressed people of Jammu and Cashmir.”
On July 13, 1931, thousands of Cashmiris had met in the central prison in Srinagar to witness the trial of Abdul Qadeer, who was arrested for asking for an uprising against the rulers of Dogra. The soldiers opened fire against the meeting and killed 22 Kashmir.
Those killed were buried in the Mazar–Suhada de Srinagar (cemetery of the martyrs).
Before New Delhi revocated, the special status of Kashmiro on August 5, 2019, both the ruling and the opposition political parties used to meet in the historical place every year on July 13 to pay taxes.
Speaking in a discussion about the motion of thanks to the speech of Lieutenant Governor on Wednesday, the leader of the Popular Party of the Democratic Party (PDP) Waheed Parra sought the restoration of July 13 as a holiday.
The PDP leader urged the legislature to testify on December 5, the birthday of the founder of the National Conference (NC), Sheikh Abdullah, as a holiday. He ignored the attempts of some BJP members to interrupt their speech.
Both the days, on July 13 and on December 5, they were withdrawn from the list of holidays after New Delhi reduced the state of assistant Kashmir to a territory of La Unión in 2019.
“Unless on July 13 it is declared as a holiday to honor Muslim martyrs of Kashmir, BJP will not be able to do justice (with J & K). His sacrifices were for democracy and for India. It is due to these sacrifices that we can stop in this house, ”said Waheed Parra, the PDP leader. He urged the speaker to restore the two vacations.
By describing July 13 as the “most precious day” in history and a “day for democracy against the monarchy of dogra,” Parra said that the 22 men had established their lives to restore the democratic rights of all people, including Jammu Hindus.
He asked the speaker to allow the debate on issues that affect the mass of people. “Jammu and Kashmira have been degraded to a municipality. If, as a custodian of this house, it will not allow the debate, its result will be more violence and separatism. Pakistan will become strong if J & K’s people drown, ”he said.
The PDP leader has already presented a resolution that seeks the restoration of the holiday on the holiday on July 13 to the Secretariat of the Assembly.
However, after Parra finished his speech, BJP Leader Sharma opposed the resolution, saying that the 22 Muslims of Kashmir murdered by the forces of dogra were not “not martyrs but traitors.”
Posted in Dawn, March 6, 2025
