Awami Ithad Party Sunday organised a seminar at Sopore to pay homage to Mohammad Maqbool Bhat and Afzal Guru on their death anniversaries.
Among the speakers on the occasion were: Mufti Nissar Ahmad, Prince Parvez, Malik Tariq Rashid, Sheeban Ashaie, Advocate Sajad and Advocate Noor-ul-Shahbaz, an AIP handout said.
The speakers said the hanging of Maqbool Bhat as well as Afzal Guru were “politically motivated”.
Speaking on the occasion, Er Rasheed asked New Delhi to introspect and tell Indians how “has Maqbool Bhat’s and Afzal Guru’s hangings helped Indian state.”
He said: “While New Delhi has a history of broken promises, it was Maqbool Bhat’s hanging, not alleged rigging in 1987 elections that persuaded youth to pick up arms. Those claiming 1987 rigging as reason for start of armed insurgency are distorting facts.”
He said: “Maqbool Bhat’s hanging made Kashmiris to believe that New Delhi does not want to resolve Kashmir dispute.”
Er Rasheed said: “By denying the mortal remains of both Maqbool Bhat and Afzal Guru, New Delhi not only confessed its guilt but its claims of being a state believing in non-violence proved fake”.
He appealed to the people of India to understand “these hangings have deteriorated the situation in J&K.”
He said the most unfortunate thing was that “rather than taking the lessons from Maqbool Bhat’s hanging, New Delhi repeated the mistake and hanged Afzal Guru too, which led to further disappointment among youth and second phase of militancy started in Kashmir.”
Asking New Delhi to respect the sentiments of people of J&K, he appealed for return of mortal remains of Maqbool Bhat and Afzal Guru.