July 14, 2002	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 3, 1423

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MUZAFFARABAD, July 13: The speakers at a function here said the ongoing freedom movement was an extension of the Kashmiris slain in Srinagar 71 years ago.

The function was held at a local hotel here on Saturday under the aegis of Kashmir Academy to commemorate “Kashmir Martyrs Day”.

Muslim Conference chief and MLA Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan presided over the function, and AJK prime minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan was chief guest.

In his speech, the prime minister vowed that Kashmiris would continue their struggle to achieve the goal set by those who were killed on July 13, 1931, but did not bow down before the despotic Dogra regime.

He said the valiant Kashmiris had restricted successive Indian governments from implementing their hegemonic designs against the smaller countries of the region.

Pakistan, Sardar Sikandar recalled, came into being in August 1947 but the Kashmiris had started their struggle to overthrow the Dogra regime much before the launching of Pakistan movement.

Sardar Attique said the success of the Kashmir freedom movement would be equally beneficial for the Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities living in the Himalayan region.

On the proposed elections to the held Kashmir legislative assembly, Sardar Attique said instead of holding the farcical exercise Indian leaders should accept the bitter reality that Kashmiris have not sacrificed thousands of their men, women and youth for an election or internal autonomy but for freedom.

The MC chief also thanked President Gen Pervez Musharraf for his unequivocal stand on Kashmir.

Prominent among others who spoke on the occasion were senior columnist Abdul Rashid Malik, director Khurshid National Library Prof Nasrullah Khan Nasir, director Kashmir Academy Jawad Jafery, chairman Zakat Council Chaudhry Abdul Aziz, director social welfare and women development department Sakina Bukhari, and chairperson of Helping Organization for Peoples Equality Taqdees Gillani.

APP ADDS: Jammu Kashmir People League, JKPL staged a sit-in, in front of the UN military observers office on the eve of “Kashmir Martyr Day” here on Saturday.

The activists of JKPL led by its chairman Muhammad Farooq Rahmani staged a sit-in, in front of the UNMOGIP office here and later handed over a protest note to the UN officials.

The memorandum called upon the world body to take notice of the stepped up Indian atrocities in the held state of Jammu and Kashmir.