London: To mark the first martyrdom anniversary of Kashmiri resistance icon Shaheed Syed Ali Geelani, week-long events were held across the UK, under the theme of “Azam-e-Shaheed week” by Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK.
Various programs were held in the UK including demonstrations to seek return of body of Geelani, who attained martyrdom on Sept. 01, 2021 at his home in Hyderpora area of Srinagar, capital of Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIoJK).
According to a statement by Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK, “Shaheed Syed Ali Geelani Conferences” were held in Glasgow, Birmingham and Luton cities of the UK during the ongoing week of September.
“Shaheed Geelani buried the irrational ideas and practices of Shaikh Abdullah,” said Fahim Kayani, president of Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK, addressing a conference in Glasgow.
Recalling the tall stature of Abdullah, who sold Kashmir to India for petty personal and family interests, Kayani said: “because of holistic understanding of issues facing Muslims in South Asia and sacred nature of resistance movement in IIoJK, Geelani Sahab and his life-time colleague Shaheed Ashraf Sehrai took on their own to challenge the ideology of Shaikh Abdullah which was based on petty politics and materialistic interests.”
Geelani, a towering Muslim leader and scholar of South Asia, led All Parties Hurriyat Conference and Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir until he attained martyrdom last year when Indian forces raided his home to abduct his body. The Indian forces forcibly buried his body in the dead of the night to bar Kashmiri nation to hold big funeral in honor of their leader who stood for right t self-determination as promised by the international community in various UN resolutions.
Unfortunately, said Kayani, Kashmiris were duped and led into slavery by Shaikh Abdullah “by wining and dining with Indian National Congress and Indian deep state for petty personal and family interests.”
“Shaheed Geelani by the grit of his scholarship on Islam and anti-colonial struggles, awakened the new generation Kashmiris with essence of freedom from military occupation,” Kayani said.
Kashmiris and Pakistani across the world commemorated the first martyrdom anniversary of Geelani, 91 years old, on Sept. 01 and urged India to return his body to fulfil written wish of Geelani that he be buried in Martyrs Graveyard Srinagar.
Muhammad Ghalib, president Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK, highlighted the importance of studying Geelani’s life and works.
“Attaining freedom from a colonial power is a long-drawn process which evolves with passage of time and the significance of the services of Shaheed Geelani to the Kashmiri nation is that he unmasked the façade of democracy that India wears and exposed India as a neo-colonial power,” Ghalib said.
Hanif Raja, president TeK Scotland, seconded Ghalib and called for highlighting institutionalizing the services of Geelani.
“It is a matter of urgency that diaspora community spreads the message of Shaheed Geelani that India is not a democracy nor part of a liberal international order but a nation overtaken by a fascist regime which applies demographic terrorism to justify illegal occupations like in IIoJK,” Raja said.
Nazir Ahmed Qureshi Senior Bice President WKFM, Syed Tufail Shah, patron-in-Chief TeK UK, Chaudhary Sharif Senior Vice TeK UK, Mufti Abdul Majeed Nadeem Vice President TeK UK,Shukat Sultan Sec Gen TeK UK , Husain Asghar President Mission Midland , Zahid Ch President TeK South Zone, Khawajah Suleman, Khurshid Alam ,Sajid Malik President TeK Luton, Addis Mughal , Ch Ikram ul Haq President TeK Birmingham ,Councillors from London to Glasgow and Community Leaders pointed out that despite heavy-handed suppression by India in IIoJK, “Kashmiris cannot be separated from Pakistan.”
“Kashmir erupts in celebration for mere cricket match victory against India by Pakistan… Kashmiris use fire crackers and sloganeering to express their sentiments for Pakistan and this is despite the fact that India has deployed one million troops in IIoJK. It is a clear referendum that Kashmiris refuse to budge and want India out of Kashmir as soon as possible,” the Kashmiri activists said in a joint statement. Web Desk
