People of PoK remembers Arif Shahid on his martyrdom day, says activist Sajjad Raja

London [UK], May 14 : On the occasion of the seventh martyrdom anniversary of Sardar Arif Shahid, National Equality Party Chairman Prof. Sajjad Raja said in his statement that due to the coronavirus lockdown, the martyrdom day has not been celebrated, but it does not mean that the people of the state have forgotten Arif Shahid or there has been some shortcoming in his struggle.
The people of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir will continue their struggle till the achievement of the goal of Arif Shahid and will drive Pakistan out of PoK and Gilgit Baltistan at all costs.
Today, on this day, seven years ago, Arif Shahid, chairman of the Jammu Kashmir All Parties National Alliance, was shot in the neck by Pakistani agents at the gate of his home in Rawalpindi. And to this day, his killers have not been identified.
"The killers of Arif Shahid will never be traced and they will never be arrested because they are not ordinary killers but agents of Pakistan's powerful military agencies", said Prof. Sajjad Raja.
"However, we will continue to demand their arrest and continue to voice our helplessness to the United Nations and all other international forums", he added.
Prof. Sajjad told ANI, "We will never forget the cause for which Arif Shahid Shaheed has sacrificed his life and we will continue it with full vigour till the success of his struggle."
Arif Shahid's fault was that he awakened the consciousness among the people in the Pakistani occupied areas of Jammu and Kashmir that Pakistan is occupying them and this is Pakistan who has deprived the people of all their basic human, political, constitutional, economic, religious and social rights. Therefore, the people of the Pakistani-occupied areas of the state should organise a struggle against Pakistan instead of fighting against India.
"This political thinking of Arif Shahid shook Pakistani establishment", said Prof. Raja.
In Pakistani-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan has always persuaded the people that they are Muslims and that Hindus occupy half of their state and that the people should fight against India to liberate their state as a matter of duty and a political struggle and armed 'jihad' should be waged against India.
"Arif Shahid challenged this state narrative of Pakistan and explained to the people that states have no religion, the job of states is to give basic rights to the people and those states which cannot do so, people should get freedom from them and in Jammu and Kashmir case it's Pakistan who has occupied the state and has denied all of the basic rights of the people", said Prof. Raja.
Arif Shahid raised awareness among the people that Pakistan has basically deprived the people of the state of their rights in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, so instead of chanting slogans and waging 'jihad' against India, they should be freed from the real occupier and usurper Pakistan. And for this purpose, Arif Shahid organised a peaceful political struggle.
Arif Shahid also told the people that Gilgit-Baltistan is not a part of Pakistan but it is a part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and the people of Gilgit-Baltistan should work together with the people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Prof. Sajjad remembers that Arif Shahid for the first time united the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and the political activists of Pakistan occupied Kashmir to form an alliance called the Jammu Kashmir All Parties National Alliance and from this platform, the people of Pakistani-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan and the people of PoK launched a joint struggle against the occupation of Pakistan.
He added, "This peaceful political struggle and thinking of Arif Shahid became his crime and Pakistan's military agencies deprived him of his basic human right to life. Not only that but later his family members and children were also warned that if they made more noise to arrest the killers, their fate would be like that of Arif Shahid".
"But the political thought and struggle that Pakistan thought to suppress by killing Arif Shahid, has today reached every street in the Pakistani occupied territories of the state and the day is not far when PoK and Gilgit Baltistan will be liberated from Pakistan's aggressive and oppressive occupation.
"The National Equality Party will not hesitate to make any sacrifice to fulfil the mission of Arif Shaheed", said the National Equality Party chairman, who hails from Pakistan occupied Kashmir.