Baramulla: In a historic step, which is firt of its kind, Kashmiri civil society paid a special homage to Late Shaheed Mohammad Maqbool Sherwani on the day, when on 27th October 1947, the 1 Sikh regiment of the Indian Army landed at Srinagar Airport, a day after Maharaja Hari Singh, ruler of erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir signed the Instrument of Accession with the Union of India on October 26, 1947.
The Kashmiri civil society led by noted Human Rights Activist Javed Ahmad Beigh, who has represented India at Geneva, Switzerland based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) organized a special event wherein they paid homage to the martyrdom of Shaheed Maqbool Sherwani and marked the day as “Youm-e-Shahadat”.
The civilian initiative was first of its kind led totally by the civil society of Kashmir Valley. In prior years, only the Indian Army would organize events paying homage to Shaheed Maqbool Sherwani but this time, ordinary Kashmiris decided to do this on their own. Javed Ahmad Beigh, convenor of the event said that in light of the recent unabated terrorist attack by Pakistan backed terrorists in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir, ordinary Kashmiris decided to organize this event to send a stern message to Pakistan that Kashmiris don’t approve of Pakistani terrorism in Kashmir Valley anymore. Javed Ahmad Beigh added that another purpose of organizing the event was to also counter yearly Pakistani propaganda of their marking today as so-called Black Day.
The main event was held at Maqbool Sherwani Community Hall in Baramulla town. Javed Ahmad Beigh spoke about the valor and sacrifice of Shaheed Maqbool Sherwani which played an instrumental role in the defeat of Pashtun tribal raiders sent by Pakistan to illegally capture Kashmir Valley in October 1947. Javed Beigh also made a presentation on the atrocities committed by Pakistan backed Pashtun tribal raiders.
Javed Ahmad Beigh also urged the central government to honor Shaheed Mohammad Maqbool Sherwani with the Bharat Ratna or Padma Vibhushan. He further called for the establishment of a university in Shaheed Sherwani’s name, modeled after Shaheed Bhagat Singh Memorial University. Additionally, he requested the government to introduce a chapter about Shaheed Mohammad Maqbool Sherwani in the school textbooks of Jammu and Kashmir to inspire the younger generation with his sacrifice and valor.
Beigh also proposed renaming Residency Road in Srinagar as “Shaheed Maqbool Sherwani Road” to commemorate and honor his legacy
Others who spoke on the occasion were the close family members of Shaheed Maqbool Sherwani including his nephew Manzoor Sherwani and social activists Irfan Attari and Rohit Raina Razdan. The event was attended by a large number of ordinary Kashmiris, especially Kashmiri youth.
Afterwards, a floral tribute was paid by those gathered at the memorial of Shaheed Maqbool Sherwani near Sherwani Community Hall.
Lateron, hundreds of members of Kashmiri civil society visited the graveyard of Shaheed Mohammad Maqbool Sherwani at his ancestral graveyard near Jamia Qadeem Masjid in old town Baramulla and paid their respects. The event culminated with the press conference and media interaction.
