DG ISPR hails Gilani’s lifelong struggle

F.P. Report
RAWALPINDI: The Director General of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar has said Hurriyat Leader Syed Ali Geelani’s lifelong struggle for right to self-determination as per aspirations of Kashmiri people and UN resolutions shall always inspire generations to come.
In a tweet on Thursday, he said Pakistani nation pays tribute to the brave Kashmiri leader for his epic resistance and fight against worst Indian oppression and atrocities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that late Syed Ali Gilani was a symbol of Kashmir freedom and the title of “Baba-e-Hurriyat” (father of freedom movement) by the Kashmiris was in fact the recognition of his historic struggle.
The prime minister, in his message on first death anniversary of the great Kashmir leader, said that the struggle of Syed Ali Gilani was a golden chapter in the history of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference as well as the Kashmir freedom movement. “Syed Ali Gilani was not merely an individual rather a movement and a mission with the slogan of ‘Kashmir to become Pakistan,” he remarked. The prime minister said that by snatching the mortal remains of late Ali Gilani, India could not take away the Kashmiris’ passion for freedom.
“The people of Pakistan and Kashmir salute Syed Ali Gilani. His slogan “We are Pakistani and Pakistan is ours” still echoes across the world,” he commented. The prime minister also prayed for high ranks in paradise for Syed Ali Gilani and martyrs of Kashmir, and strength for their respective families to bear the loss with fortitude.
Pakistan conveys strong demarche to India on Geelani’s 1st death anniversary: Pakistan has conveyed a strong demarche to India and expressed solidarity with Kashmiris on the first Anniversary of Martyrdom of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
The Foreign Office, in a statement on Thursday, said Pakistan joins the Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) in paying tribute to iconic Kashmiri Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on the first anniversary of his martyrdom today. Syed Ali Shah Geelani breathed his last in long-drawn illegal Indian custody on this day last year. The Indian Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a strong demarche was made over India’s continued obstinacy and refusal to accept Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s right to a burial in accordance with his will.
The Indian Charge d’Affaires was conveyed Pakistan’s deep regret that despite the passage of one year since Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s demise in Indian custody, the Government of India had persisted in its intransigence and denied him a dignified burial in the “Cemetery of Martyrs” as per his desire.
More ominously, Kashmiris were not even allowed to pay respects to the revered leader at the graveyard in Hyderpora, Srinagar, where he was hurriedly buried by the Indian occupation forces in the absence of his family and followers.
The Indian Charge d’Affaires was urged to convey to the Government of India that the mortal remains of the late Syed Ali Shah Geelani must be interred at the “Cemetery of Martyrs” as per his will, and unhindered access be given to his family and followers to pay reverence to the great leader. The Foreign Office said that Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s unflinching commitment to the Kashmir cause, in the face of persistent persecution and tremendous personal hardship, is unparalleled.