In occupied Kashmir, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Chairman, Syed Ali Gilani, and other Hurriyat leaders and organizations have paid glowing tributes to martyred PhD scholar, Dr Manan Wani and his associate, Aashiq Hussain Zargar who were martyred by Indian troops on Thursday.
Syed Ali Gilani, in a statement in Srinagar, paying glorious tributes to Dr Manan Wani and his associate, said that brutality of New Delhi had crossed all the limits, pushing the Kashmiri youth to wall and then legalizing their killings. He said that for the past 71 years the Kashmiris had lived a life of uncertainty, chaos and harassment, had only shouldered the coffins of their dear ones, seen only death and destruction around. He said that this gloomy situation had forced the highly qualified scholars and intellectuals to take the extreme step and now they felt dignity in death while fighting Indian occupation than to live a life of slavery.
“Pro-freedom people will always miss the sharp, focused and fertile brains like that of Manan and these shining diamonds are unparalleled assets of any nation particularly oppressed and suppressed like us. We are unfortunate that we lose them so early as their un-dented commitment and visionary intellect would help to smoothen our struggle for our rights,” he added.
The illegally detained Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, Muhammad Yasin Malik, in a statement issued in Srinagar paid homage to Dr Manan Wani and Aashiq Hussain. He said, “Kashmiri youth have been pushed to wall as no space has been provided to them for peaceful dissent. From Ishfaq Majeed Wani to Burhan Wani and Manan Wani, story of passionate struggle and dignified death remains unchanged.” He appealed to the people to stay away from Municipality and Panchayat elections and respect the sacrifices of the martyrs.
The spokesman of Mirwaiz-led Hurriyat forum in a statement in Srinagar, paying tributes to Dr Manan Wani and his asociate said, “The complete strike observed across Kashmir to pay homage to Dr Manan Wani sends a strong message to Delhi as it reflects Kashmiris’ association with the Kashmir cause.”
Senior Hurriyat leader, Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi Al-Safvi, in a statement in Srinagar said, “Manan Wani’s sacrifice can never be forgotten. He was a scholar and his sacrifice proves that the highly educated youth of Kashmir are associated with the ongoing struggle for securing the right to self-determination.”
Democratic Freedom Party in a statement said, “We salute the intellect of Manan Wani. His death has answered a number of questions and raised many.”
The Jammu and Kashmir National Front in a statement said, “Manan Wani is the pride of Kashmiris.”
The Chairman of International Forum for Justice and Human Rights, Muhammad Ahsan Untoo, in his statement in Srinagar said, “It is unfortunate that youth of Kashmir don’t feel secure as their basic rights are being trampled.”
The Chairman of Kashmir Economic Alliance, Muhammad Yasin Khan, in a statement said, “We are losing our precious assets one by one with each passing day. Almost every day we have to shoulder the coffins of our youth which is very painful.”
