For the first time after 1947 no official function was held on July 13 this year at the graveyard of 1931 martyrs to remember them for their sacrifices against the erstwhile dogra rule in the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir and also for the first time Kashmir’s mainstream parties were barred from offering the congregational prayers at the graveyard of 1931 martyrs. In fact the official function at the martyrs graveyard was downgraded from 2015 onwards after takeover of the reigns of power by erstwhile PDP-BJP coalition government under the leadership of both late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and as well as Mehbooba Mufti in erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state as BJP ministers publicly refused to accompany both late Sayeed and Mehbooba as Chief Ministers to the martyrs graveyard on July 13 for three successive years. The martyrs’ day was downgraded further after the fall of PDP-BJP government and appointment of Satyapal Malik as governor of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state as Governor Malik choose to break the precedence by choosing to send one of his advisors instead of going in person to the martyrs’ graveyard on July 13 for two consecutive years. After the downgrading of the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state to a union territory in August last year, the government this year choose to restrain leaders of all the Jammu & Kashmir mainstream leaders from offering congregational prayers at the martyrs graveyard on July 13. Interestingly the top mainstream parties particularly National Conference (NC) , Peoples’ Democratic Party and Congress who headed several popular governments in Jammu & Kashmir used to restrain separatist leaders from offering congregational prayers at the martyrs graveyard on July 13 for almost last three decades but now the government has restrained the leaders of the same parties from offering congregational prayers at the martyrs graveyard on July 13.
Filing a habeas corpus writ petition for the release of his party leaders detained before August 5 last year shows that Dr Farooq Abdullah’s is concerned about release of his party leaders and not about the cancellation of July 13 as a public holiday and restrictions on all the Kashmir mainstream leaders which he and other mainstream leaders could have challenged on this day.
No official gun salute, no public holiday was the government decision and the response to it by leaders of all the mainstream parties was the conduct of fateh ceremonies for July 13,1931 martyrs at their party headquarters and press statements for tributes to the martyrs. This was the day when newspapers in both Srinagar and Jammu would publish quarter page messages on martyrs’ days from the Governor and Chief Minister of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state. Interestingly the National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah a three time former Chief Minister of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state choose the day for filing a habeas corpus writ petition for the release of his 15 party leaders and activists but not against the cancellation of July 13 as a public holiday for the first time after 1947. So filing a habeas corpus petition for the release of his party leaders detained before August 5 last year shows that Dr Farooq Abdullah’s is concerned about release of his party leaders and not about the cancellation of July 13 as a public holiday and restrictions on all the Kashmir mainstream leaders which he and other mainstream leaders could have challenged on this day.
