Azad Jammu & Kashmir President Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhary, and AJK Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan have paid glowing tributes to martyrs of Jammu on their 75th martyrdom anniversary. In separate messages released on the eve of Jammu martyrs’ day, they highlighted the supreme sacrifices rendered by the Kashmiri people, adding that the day was not far when Kashmiris’ sacrifices would bear fruit and they would be free from the Indian bondage. AJK President said in his message that more than 70 years had been passed since Indian forces invaded Kashmir illegally. The Indian forces deployed in the length and breadth of Kashmir have destroyed the peace by wreaking havoc in the region. Terming India as an aggressor, the AJK president said despite the passage of seven decades India was not ready to grant Kashmiris their right to self-determination, which it had guaranteed to them under various UN resolutions. He said that November 6 (Martyrs’ Day) was an important milestone in the Kashmiris freedom struggle on which millions of Kashmiris sacrificed their lives for the love of Pakistan and freedom of the homeland from India. He said the massacre of the Muslims in Jammu by Hindu extremists was not a mere coincidence but a deep-rooted conspiracy aimed at making the goal of creation of Pakistan impossible. In a separate message, the AJK PM said that the Indian army and the puppet administration in the occupied Kashmir were engaged in their efforts to suppress the voices of those who raise the slogan of freedom. The PM said India could not dampen the spirit of freedom of Kashmiris by unleashing reign of terror in the region. Lauding the Kashmiris’ sacrifices, he further said, “The people of Kashmir are continuously making sacrifices to achieve their goal of freedom from India’s illegal occupation.” Paying rich tributes to Jammu Martyrs, Tanveer Ilyas said, “We pay our respects to the martyrs of the freedom movement, and pledge that we will keep burning the torch that these martyrs lit with their blood.” Both the constitutional and executive heads of AJK said Jammu Martyrs’ Day was being observed on both sides of the line of control with a renewed commitment to take the ongoing struggle to its logical end for which their ancestors sacrificed their precious lives. Referring to horrendous incidents of bloodshed and violence perpetuated by Hindu extremists in connivance with Dogra forces, they said, “During the first week of November 1947, the Dogra ruler unleashed havoc in the Jammu region by killing hundreds and thousands of innocents Muslims including men, women and children.” The bloodshed and violence that left indelible scars on the Kashmiris’ collective conscience, they said, found no precedent in human history. Referring to the ongoing human rights violations in the Indian illegally occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir, they said the blood of Kashmiri Muslims was being spilt on the streets in Kashmir everyday. “The hands of the Indian forces are stained with the blood of innocent Muslims.” Reiterating the government’s all out support to Kashmir cause, they said, “Strengthening Kashmir cause and the Freedom Movement in Kashmir is the first priority of the present government.” They said the India’s nefarious attempts aimed at distorting the region’s history, culture and changing the proportion of the population in the occupied territory would be thwarted by the valiant Kashmiris despite all odds. They also urged the international community to help stop the atrocities on Kashmiris and force India to implement the UNSC resolutions to settle the lingering dispute peacefully once and for all.