J&K polls: ANC President Khalida Shah remembers her father

Srinagar, Dec 5: JKANC President Begum Khalida Shah praised her father and said in a press statement: "This is a very special day in my life, infact an important day for every citizen of our state.

It was on this very day more than a century ago that almighty brought a ray of hope into existence."

Remembering her father, Shah said: "Today is the 109th birth anniversary of Sher-e-Kashmir and my beloved father Late Shiekh Muhammad Abdullah, who later took his motherland out of the clutches of tyranny, occupation and exploitation.
I want to express my deepest gratitude and pay my homage to the tallest leader that the state of J&K has produced."

Ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, Shah issued a press statement. The press note read: "It was the concern and care of Sher-e-Kashmir for his people and his motherland that he spent nearly 1/3rd of his life in incarceration but never gave up his struggle and voice to see his people breath in free air and live in a liberated milieu.

Sher-e-Kashmir after completing his M.Sc from Aligarh Muslim University returned back to his Valley and preferred to struggle for the better future of his people instead of looking for his own prosperity as a scientist, a scholar or an officer of the administration."

He raised his voice against the autocratic and tyrannical rule of the Dogra Maharaja, matured the opinions of his fellow citizens and kindled the flame of freedom in their hearts, she said.

It was due to his relentless and uncompromising efforts and exhaustive negotiations with the then union of India through its Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru and the then Home Minister Sardar Patel that he secured a special status for his state within India.

Praising her father, Shah said 'Nobody would deny the fact that it was due to the sacrifices, incarceration and struggle of Sher-e-Kashmir that transformed the political scenario of Jammu and Kashmir from 1931'.

"I leave it upto the scholars, historians, researchers and political scientists to analyze and see what the political climate of J&K was before 1931 and what it became after 1931 and who led Kashmir on the path of revolution against tyranny, autocracy, dictatorship and who got them their freedom in 1947," ANC President Stated.

Shah further stated that unfortunately, the evil and vitriolic forces have since then been hell-bent to destroy the social, cultural, traditional, economic as well as political character of the state.

It would gash the soul of her father to look at the predicament of his state and its people in the present time for the betterment and welfare of which he spent his whole life.

"It pains me to realize that so far multitude of agreements and accords have been put to effect to bring prosperity to the state but the trust deficit has never been filled. People have never been able to see some sincere efforts to do away with the sorry state of affairs.

Today on this occasion I want to request all of you that let us join hands with each other and sincerely endeavor to make Kashmir what it was dreamt like to be by the Sher-e-Kashmir. I think that will be the real homage to our beloved leader ," she said.