MUZAFFARABAD: Kashmiri activists, mostly young students, on Monday took to a main thoroughfare in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) capital to mark the fourth death anniversary of Syed Ali Geelani, the veteran Kashmiri leader and former chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), widely revered by many as the “spiritual soul” of the Kashmir freedom struggle.

Organised by Pasban-i-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir (PHJK), an organisation of the post-1989 migrants from Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the “Jehd-i-Musalsal (Unrelenting Struggle) Rally” started from Burhan Wani Chowk and culminated at Ghari Pan Chowk, with participants reaffirming their commitment to Mr Geelani’s vision of the reunification of the divided Himalayan region and its merger with Pakistan.

Carrying posters and banners of Mr Geelani, they chanted slogans including“Pakistan se rishta kya? La Laha Illallah,” “We are Pakistanis, Pakistan is ours,”and“Geelani,

your caravan never stopped, never bowed.”

The rally was led by AJK Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar, PHJK chairman Uzair Ahmed Ghazali, former minister and PML-N leader Syed Murtaza Ali Gillani, APHC representatives, and leaders of the Kashmiri refugee community.

Earlier, speakers, including Mr Akbar, paid glowing tributes to Syed Ali Geelani, describing him as a great soldier of Islam and a true leader of the Kashmiri people who dedicated his entire life to resisting Indian occupation and advocating the right to self-determination.

They recalled his long imprisonments, repeated house arrests, and steadfast refusal to compromise on Kashmir’s freedom, reiterating that his slogan“We are Pakistanis, Pakistan is ours”continued to resonate deeply in Kashmiri hearts.

The speakers stressed that the right to self-determination was an inalienable right of the Kashmiri people and that peace in South Asia hinged on a just settlement of the issue through the implementation of United Nations resolutions.

Urging the international community, the UN Security Council, and human rights bodies to hold India accountable for atrocities in occupied Kashmir, the speakers vowed that the blood of martyrs would not go in vain and that the struggle for freedom would continue until victory.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2025