MUZAFFARABAD: Kashmiri leaders from both sides of the divide on Friday called for preserving the memory of the 1947 Jammu massacre and resisting attempts to erase the historical identity of Kashmiris, while urging younger generations to carry forward the struggle for their right to self-determination.
They expressed these views at different events held in several cities of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and the federal capital to mark the 79th anniversary of the Jammu massacre, which some speakers described as the second-largest genocide afterthe Second World War.
At Kashmir House Islamabad, a seminar was jointly organised by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Cell and the Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR).
Among the speakers were AJK Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, former AJK president Sardar Masood Khan, APHC convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi and his predecessorsMuhammad Farooq Rehmani and Mahmood Ahmed Saghar, and KIIR Executive Director Altaf Ahmed Wani.
Mr Farooq described the Nov 6, 1947, massacre as a human tragedy rooted in attempts to alter Jammu’s demographic composition by eliminating its Muslim majority.
He noted that the killings had begun in August 1947, with the worst episode taking place on Nov 6, with the RSS, Indian troops and forces of the Dogra regime committing the massacre with the aim of driving Muslims out of the region.
Describing himself as a native of Jammu, Mr Farooq recalled that his father was studying at Prince of Wales College there at the time and that many residents had subsequently been forced to migrate.
He said India and its media were misleading younger generations about the Kashmir dispute and attempting to erase their identity. ‘Nehru and Gandhi failed, and India should now acknowledge its failure because it could neither erase the identity of Kashmiris nor can it do so,’ he said.
He maintained that Kashmiris and Pakistanis were ‘two bodies with one soul’, appreciating Pakistan’s continued support for the Kashmir cause despite its own difficulties.
Mr Farooq also called for dialogue and reasoned debate, particularly among younger generations, urging them to advance their arguments through discussionratherthan confrontation.
Former AJK president Sardar Masood Khan urged Kashmiris not to lose heart and to continue highlight-ing the dispute.
Describing the Jammu killings as one of the darkest chapters in the region’s history, he cited reports in The Times of London and The Spectator which, he said, had put the death toll at more than 250,000.
According to him, Dogra and Indian troops, the RSS and a Patiala brigade had participated in the killings, which were aimed at turning the Muslim majority into a minority. Muslims, who constituted 61 per cent of Jammu’s population before the massacre, were reduced to 33pc, he said, attributing the decline to the killings and the expulsion of more than 500,000 people.
Mr Khan urged younger generations to remember their forefathers’ sacrifices and resist attempts to spread despondency among Kashmiri youth by portraying the dispute as insoluble.
He also called for political unity, asking young people to avoid internal conflicts, work for Pakistan’s progress and serve as ambassadors of the Kashmir cause.
Other speakers called for greater historical research and awareness, tolerance of differing opinions and the use of modern technology to highlight the Kashmir dispute. They also proposed establishing a memorial in Sialkot to commemorate the victims, putting the death toll at 300,000 and the number of displaced people at over 500,000.
Separately, a seminar was held at the APHC office, where speakers included former AJK prime minister Raja Farooq Haider.
In Mirpur, ruling PML-N legislator and former minister Chaudhry Rukhsar Ahmed was the chief speaker at a similar event, followed by a rally.