Jammu, Dec 05 (KNS): Cautioning against threat to the very idea of democratic and secular Jammu and Kashmir, as envisioned and nurtured by Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, National Conference on Saturday exhorted people to stand unitedly and fight the divisive forces, hell bent on trampling glorious ethos of the State.
“We are at the cross roads of our history where secular credentials are at stake in the wake of elements inimical to amity and tranquility taking center-stage”, Provincial President Devender Singh Rana said while leading the senior party leaders and workers in paying homage to Baba-e-Quom on his 110th Birth Anniversary at She-e-Kashmir Bhavan here.
Former Ministers Surjeet Singh Slathia, Ajay Kumar Sadhotra, Mirza Abdul Rasheed, Abdul Gani Malik and Syed Mushtaq Ahmed Shah Bukhari were among the prominent speakers who paid homage to Sheikh Sahib.
Referring to the atmosphere of mistrust and intolerance generated by divisive forces, Rana expressed concern over the situation having taken such a turn in which the people were being singled out on the basis of their religious identities. The minorities, he said, were feeling a sense of insecurity, a phenomenon which was never ever witnessed in the country. “We should be proud of our religion but at the same time we must respect other religions too, which is essence of all the religions”, he asserted.
Rana also referred to the machinations being made by divisive parties like BJP to trifurcate the State and repeal Article 35-A of the Indian Constitution. He said this was a sinister move to muzzle the identity of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. The public opinion was being misled by describing this proviso as a region specific, he said, adding that this Act is a safeguard to the provision in the Constitution by the Mahraja in the state laws to protect the rights of the state subjects. He urged the people to maintain vigil against such attempts and foil the attempts of those weakening time tested amity in the state.
“The people of Jammu are progressive in their outlook and they had not mandated the BJP to browbeat minorities”, he said while lauding the resilience and spirit of inclusiveness of Jammuties.
In this context, the Provincial President made a mention of the great role played by Sher-e-Kashmir during horrendous period of the Partition by keeping the flag of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh unity aloft. His message of communal amity traversed the boundaries and Father of the Nation acknowledged it in his words of wisdom by saying that the light of amity actually emanated from Kashmir. “We have to keep this spirit alive”, he said and urged the party workers to take pledge of spreading this message in every locality. He said Sheikh Sahib’s message of brotherhood has immense relevance now when the society is ridden by hate and intolerance.
The Provincial President paid rich homage to Sher-e-Kashmir, saying whenever the history of Jammu and Kashmir will be re-written; it will be incomplete without the mention of Sheikh Sahib.
Paying tributes to Sheikh Sabhib, the former minister Surjeet Singh Slathia recalled the landmark and pioneering Land Reforms Act, which he said, empowered the farmers by making them masters of their own destiny.
“The progressive outlook and vision of Sher-e-Kashmir has transformed Jammu and Kashmir as a vibrant state where the people of all the faiths enjoy equal opportunities of progress and development”, he said.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Describing Sher-e-Kashmir as a towering leader of his times, former minister Ajay Kumar Sadhotra lauded his crucial role in strengthening the bonds of amity, brotherhood and tranquility in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions. He said his vision and far sight helped the state to grow as a vibrant entity. He said Sheikh Sahib believed in the balanced development of all the three regions and worked towards social justice all his life.
Sadhotra assailed the PDP-BJP government for failure on all fronts and said the people were suffering due to wrong policies. He made a specific mention of PoK refugees and said that the recommendation of Omar Abdullah led government for providing Rs 25 lakh to each family has been put in the back burner.
Former minister Abdul Gani Malik described Sheikh Sahib as an architect of Naya Jammu and Kashmir who strived for betterment of the people all his like,
Former minsister Syed Mushtaq Ahmed Shah Bukhari, while paying tributes to Sher-e-Kashmir, said that the role of the late leader in strengthening bonds of amity and brotherhood will inspire generations to work for a society based on equality and social-justice.
Former MP and minister, Mirza Abdul Rasheed described Sheikh Sahib as a leader of global stature who believed in a just society where people belonging to all the religions enjoy equal opportunities of progress.
While State Vice President Rattan Lal Gupta and State Secretary Th Rachpal Singh hailed Sheikh Sahib’s role in cementing the bonds of brotherhood during most testing times, State Vice President Th Kashmira Singh paid poetic tribute to Baba-e-Quom.
Those who spoke on the occasion included Kamal Arora, Choudhry Haroon, Waris Gill, Chander Mohan Sharma, Gurdeep Singh Sasan and Anil Dhar.
Sheikh Bashir Ahmad Provincial Secretary conducted the proceedings.
Present on the occasion were Begum Zubaida Salaria and s Deepinder Kour former legisltors, s Satwant Kour Dogra Provincial President Women Wing, .Jugal Mahajan Vice President, Ch. Haroon Vice President, Issar Khan, S.S Bunty Additional Spokesperson, Ayub Malik Vice President, Rakesh Singh Raka, s Rashida Begum, Nar Singh , M.K Yogi, K.D Singh, Balwinder Singh, Dalbir Singh, Abdul Gani Teli Co- Chairman OBC Cell, Vijay Lochan Co- Chairman SC Cell, S. Tejinder Singh, s s Smt Satya Jamwal, Rohit Bali, Rahul Mahajan, , Nitish Goswami , Rohit Gupta, Farooq Mughal, Vijay Gupta, Sushil Gupta, Vinod Tak, Som Raj Taroch and Sucha Singh
Earlier, all religious prayers were held and fruits distributed among children.
The birth anniversary of Sher-e-Kashmir was observed at all the District Headquarters. District Presidents of Ramban, Sajjad Shaheen, Reasi, Jagjeevan Lal, Udhampur Sunil Verma, Doda Khalid Najeeb Suharwardhy, Kistwar Tanveer Kichloo, Kathua Ajeet Kumar, Billawar Romi Khajuria, Rajouri Shafayat Ahmed Khan and Poonch Qazi Mohammed Sayed Beig paid rich tributes to Sher-e-Kashmir and threw light on different facets of his life.
District President Jammu Urban Dharveer Singh Jamwal, District President Rural- A Satpal Lakhotra, Rural-B Kamal Arora MLA and District Samba Mohinder Gupta participated along with their workers at the main function held at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan.
Provincial Youth National Conference President Ajaz Jan also paid tributes to Sher-e-Kashmir on his 110th Death Anniversary at a function at Poonch. (KNS)