MIRPUR: Journalist
fraternity across Azad Jammu Kashmir and Pakistan-based Kashmiri journalists
Sunday paid rich tributes to veteran legendary senior Kashmiri journalist Dr.
Syed Shujaat Bukhari Shaheed, on his 2nd martyrdom anniversary, with the
renewal of the pledge to continue his mission of securing and protecting the
rights of expression besides the birth rights of the people of Jammu &
Kashmir State.
Bukhari, Editor of
leading Kashmiri English daily “Rising Kashmir”, appearing from
Srinagar, was martyred by unidentified gunmen outside his office at press
enclave in occupied Srinagar, this day two years ago in 2018 when he was
leaving for his home. Besides a seasoned journalist, writer, intelectural and
analyst late Shujaat Bukhari was the leading voice for peace, justice, and
rights in Jammu & Kashmir and ever-lasting Indo-Pakistan peace.
Special ceremonies
were held under the auspices of press clubs and journalists organisations in
various parts of AJK including the capital town of Muzaffarabad, Mirpur,
Rawalakot, Kotli, Bagh Bhimber as well as under the auspices of Islamabad-based
kashmiri journalists affiliated with AJK State’s press, to mark the martyrdom
anniversary of shaheed Shujaat Bukhari, paying glorious tributes to the
departed soul for his life-time vibrant services for the upholding of the voice
of the people of Jammu & Kashmir for the achievement of their legitimate
right to self determination through determining their destiny in line with
their own wishes and aspirations under the spirit of the international norms
and commitments.
Paying rich tributes
to the departed soul at a special ceremony hosted by Jammu & Kashmir Union
of Journalists with its top leader and senior journalist Altaf Hamid Rao in the
chair speakers including seasoned broadcaster, a close associate of shaheed
Shujaat Bukhari � the
Station Director Azad Kashmir Radio Mirpur Muhammad Shakeel, central vice
president of the JKUJ Sohrab Ahmed Khan, Asif Arbab, Member Governing Body AJK
Press Foundation Arshad Mahmood Butt, Senior Vice President of National Union
of Journalists Pakistan Zaffar Iqbal Mughal, news Editor AK Radio Mirpur Ali
Akhtar Saleem, Javeid Mallick, photo journalists Shahbaz Bukhari and Jehanzeb
Khan and others said that shaheed Shujaat Bukhari was a valiant voice of the
media and people of entire Jammu & Kashmir state in General and the
strife-torn Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir in particular viz-a-viz their
long-standing demand for achievement of their legitimate right to decide about
their destiny under the spirit of international norms and commitments through peaceful
means between both India and Pakistan.
Speakers said that
the shaheed Bukhari, through his high intellect and pen, raised this voice of
the people of Jammu & Kashmir inviting the international community about
the continued deterioration of peace in South Asia following persistent
deprivation of the people of Kashmir of their due right of self determination
by India particularly �
besides other bottle necks in the way of the ultimate goal of the complete
success of Kashmir freedom struggle.
Lambasting India for
constantly letting the reign of state terrorism in Indian held Jammu Kashmir,
especially after her sinister act of August 05 last year of scrapping special
status of the disputed Jammu Kashmir state, the speakers observed that India
had crossed all limits of barbarity and aggression in its attempts to quell the
voice of the Kashmiris whose only demand was the freedom from Indian
occupation, they added.
“India will
never succeed in its dastardly designs to subdue the freedom movement in
IOJK”, they said.
Paying rich tributes
to shaheed Shujaat Bukhari for his life time meritorious services for Kashmir
cause, Shujaat’s old friend – renowned broadcaster and controller programs
Muhammad Shakeel called for making public any high level transparent inquiry
report about the assassination of the veteran journalist to bring the
perpetrators to justice. He underlined that non of the accused involved in the
brutal killing of Shujaat Bukhari was arrested despite passage of over two
years. “It was ample proof of the fact that Indian state was behind the
brutal killing of Shujaat Bukhari to gag the strong voice and custodian of the
due rights, culture and identity and political rights of the people of the
Jammu & Kashmir state”, he observed.
He described the
gruesome killing of Shujaat an irreparable loss to the Jammu Kashmir peoples
just and principled struggle for right to self determination and the sincere
endeavors for emergence of peace in the region through the peaceful settlement
of the Kashmir issue.
The chair – Senior
Kashmiri Journalist Altaf Hamid Rao while paying rich tribute to the martyred
journalist, said that Shujaat Bukhari was a seasoned professional journalist,
writer, analyst and historian who was rising beacon light for journalists and
young generation in IOJK, Azad Jammu Kashmir and Pakistan.
He observed that the
assassination of Shujaat Bukhari had exposed the India and how it
systematically was targeting the intelligentsia in IOJK, one after the other,
who were raising their voice for a peaceful and amicable solution to this long-standing
international dispute.
Rao prayed departed
soul and termed him a big loss for Kashmir and journalistic fraternity. He
remembered Shujaat Bukhari as a brilliant journalist and above all a kind soul.
The JKUJ Supremo
said that the martyrdom of Shujaat Bukhari had shocked everyone in Pakistan and
Azad Kashmir. He said that he was an intellect with in-depth knowledge of the
dispute and its current dynamics.
Altaf Hamid Rapsaid,
Shujaat wanted to further the role of Kashmiris who had been relegated to
helpless bystanders to the dispute by India and that he believed India’s use of
force was in no way a solution to the issue and the resolution of this dispute
is only possible if the people of Kashmir Kashmir Press Club Mirpur paid
tributes to senior journalist Syed Shujaat Bukhari on his second Martyrdom
anniversary.
The KPC held a
meeting on zoom on Sunday with the Press Club’s President Sajaad Jarral in the
chair, to commemorate the 2nd martyrdom anniversary of Bukhari who, along with
two security guards, was shot dead by unknown gunmen two years ago on June 14,
2018 outside his Rising Kashmir office in Press Enclave Srinagar.
The members
remembered the contributions of late Bukhari that he made to the institution of
media in Kashmir.
The participants
offered Fateh for the up gradation of the status of the martyred soul in
Jannah.
Newspaper: Urdu Point
