Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President, Member of Parliament from Srinagar Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Omar Abdullah on Tuesday paid glowing tributes to founder of the party late Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah on his 38th death anniversary.
The party president and vice president led the party functionaries, workers and delegates in offering floral tributes and fateh prayers at the final resting place of Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah. The duo also offered fateh prayers and floral tributes at the final resting place of Begum Akbar Jehan Abdullah.
While paying tributes to late Abdullah, party President said, “The spirit of secularism and tolerance possessed by Sher-e-Kashmir was the cumulative effect of the environment which generation after generation has fine-tuned the psyche of Kashmiris. Sher-e-Kashmir exhibited the spirit of tolerance, mutual respect and camaraderie towards all religions, sects and creeds. He made earnest efforts to strengthen it; his political struggle for the restoration of people’s rights wasn’t exclusive, on the contrary it was inclusive. A mass movement organizer, Sheikh Sahib’s struggle was never aimed to alleviate the suffering of particular followers of a faith. He worked tirelessly, suffered incarcerations throughout for the total redemption of the entire human kind living in Jammu and Kashmir from abject poverty.”
He further added, “In order to provide a joint platform to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, he rechristened the Muslim Conference to National Conference. The first cabinet he headed was insightful of his secular temperament; people like GL Dogra, Sardar Budh Singh, Kushak Bakula, and DP Dhar were given important portfolios in the cabinet he headed. He also didn’t let the communal frenzy of 1947 permeate into Kashmir; he educated his people about the merits of a progressive and a secular polity. At a time when the entire sub-continent had turned a favorite hunt of vultures in the run up for partition, it was in Kashmir that Mahatma Gandhi saw a ray of hope, and that ray of hope was none other than Sher-e-Kashmir, On this day I pay my tributes to this greatest son of the soil. The best tribute to him, however, would be to follow ideals, which undoubtedly were far ahead of his and still have universal acceptance,” he said.
Party Vice President while paying tributes said: “He (Sheikh) belonged to that glorious tribe of great men, who changed the course of history. He bequeathed people with equal rights irrespective of their regional and religious affiliations. A true democratic, he ushered in grass roots level democracy in J&K much before it was even thought of in other parts of the country. His land to tiller reforms, single line administration, abolition of big landed estates, abolition of debts, universal adult franchise, gender neutral education helped the subjugated, underprivileged and wretched. The sleuth of people friendly measures undertaken by him provided succor to the people living in all regions of J&K, not just Kashmir. He continued to clutch on the principles of secularism regardless of his sufferings at the hands of those at the helm of affairs in New Delhi.”
Several party leaders offered floral tributes and fateh prayers at the grave yard of late leader.
