ISLAMABAD, MAY 21 (DNA) — The All Parties Hurriyat Conference Tuesday paid rich tribute to prominent martyred Hurriyat leaders Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq, Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone and the Hawal martyrs on their martyrdom anniversaries in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq was assassinated by unidentified gunmen at his residence in Srinagar on May 21, 1990. On the same day, over 70 mourners were killed when Indian troops opened indiscriminate fire on his funeral procession in the Hawal area of Srinagar.

Twelve years later, on May 21, 2002, unknown attackers shot dead Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone as he was returning from addressing a gathering at the Martyrs’ Graveyard in Srinagar.

APHC leaders, including illegally detained Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Bilal Siddiqi, Fayaz Hussain Jafri, Zamrooda Habib, Abdul Samad Inqilabi, Syed Sibt Shabbir Qummi and Maulana Musaib Nadvi, in their statements, stated that the martyrs of the freedom movement are the heroes of the Kashmiri people.

They reiterated the Kashmiris’ resolve to accomplish the mission of their martyrs at all costs. The leaders emphasized that these noble souls sacrificed their lives for the great and sacred cause of freedom. They highlighted that the martyrs were torchbearers of the freedom movement, and their struggle, teachings, and sacrifices serve as role models for future generations of Kashmir. — DNA