The people of Jammu and Kashmir have a long history of resisting foreign invasions and occupations. In this process they have rendered unprecedented sacrifices and demonstrated unique dedication to their right of self-determination. That struggle, which began under Dogra tyranny in the early twentieth century, continues today against Indian illegal occupation — now compounded by a deliberate and systematic campaign to erase the demographic and cultural identity of the Kashmiri people.

Kashmiris began resisting Dogra Rule in the early twentieth century, but the struggle remained largely covert until 1931. The events of July 13, 1931, transformed it into an overt resistance, and the day is observed as Youm-e-Shuhada-e-Kashmir by Kashmiris worldwide. Thousands gathered peacefully outside Srinagar Central Jail to attend the proceedings against Abdul Qadeer Khan, who had spoken against the desecration of the Holy Quran by the Dogra Army. When it was time for Zuhr prayers, a Kashmiri youth began the Azan. The Dogra Army opened fire, and he embraced martyrdom.

Another stepped forward to complete the Azan, he too was shot. In this way, one after another, twenty-two Kashmiri Muslims were killed by the Dogra Army in the process of completing a single Azan. This unique and unprecedented chapter of sacrifice gave the Kashmiri people a new determination and a bold course for their freedom. In the subsequent days, the first political party of Kashmir, the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, came into being, with the restoration of the political, religious, economic, and social rights of the........

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