Beyond the day of the martyrs, the neck and the PDP strike rare harmonious notes – ‘It was repeatedly refused to remember’. Bharat News

It was removed by a public holiday in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, after the cancellation of Article 370 in August 2019, it was removed by the Lieutenant Governor -led administration.

Admission to Mazar-e-Shhada (martyr’s cemetery) has also been banned on previous occasions.

In a meeting at its headquarters, the PDP unanimously pledged to visit the ‘Mazar-e-Shahuda’ on 13 July to pay homage to the 1931 martyrs.

The meeting came to the party headquarters three days after the national conference, “Madar-e-Meharban Begum Akbar Jehan Abdullah and the martyr’s day were scheduled to assess the ongoing arrangement for observing the anniversary of the death of Martyr Day, respectively for 11 and 13 July.

The meeting was chaired by NC General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar on 7 July. A day later, Sagar wrote to the Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar that party president Farooq Abdullah and other NC leaders plan to visit the martyr’s cemetery on 13 July.

Subsequently, PDP chief Mehboba Mufti said that the decision appeared “like lip service compared to any serious effort”.

In a post on X, he said: “Omar Abdullah government’s proposal was sent to LG to declare on July 13 and December 5 as public holidays would have lifted their weight if the speaker supported the PDP’s resolution for the same in the assembly. The unique rejection of the speaker’s resolution was unpredictable and disappointing”.

Last year, leaders such as Sajad Loan, president of the Mufti and People’s Conference, were limited to their residences on 13 July. At Thursday’s meeting, PDP leader Ghulam Nabi Lone said that “no official order could reduce the legacy of martyrs or ideals, for which they stood.”

The PDP also criticized “continuous efforts” to dilute the unique political and historical identity of Jammu and Kashmir, claiming that “pressing symbols of collective memory would only deepen people’s resolutions to protect their legacy”.

Nekan’s statement was also on the same lines on Thursday. In this, the party said that it had seen the day of the martyrs on 13 July for decades. However, “… since 2019, we have been repeatedly denied the right to celebrate this historic day – one day it lies deeply in the collective memory and political discretion of our people”, said this.

This year, the party has formally sought permission to visit Mazar, said this.

“We hope that this time, our democratic and peaceful requests will be respected, and the national conference will be allowed to mark on this day according to tradition and spirit,” the neck’s statement said.