Political parties pay tribute to July 13 martyrs

Jammu and Kashmir Opposition PDP today said the martyrs of July 13 wrote a new chapter in the state's history with their blood and created an urge among the people for freedom and dignity.
People's Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and president Mehbooba Mufti said the best tribute to the martyrs would be to "create circumstances for resolution of Kashmir".
The party said it has a clear vision of how to achieve the goals of democratic self-rule, economic self reliance and social growth in the state.
"The martyrs had risen against a system that sustained itself on exploitation and denial of democratic rights. PDP recognises their great sacrifice and pays glorious tributes to them not only through speeches, but by actually working on the ground for a permanent and dignified resolution of the Kashmir problem," the party said in a statement.

Royal soldiers had shot and killed 22 people who were demonstrating against Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir on 13 July, 1931 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) state secretary, M Y Tarigami said making Jammu and Kashmir a "true democratic unit and doing away with the autocratic tendencies in the system" is a real reward to the great people who laid down their lives for this cause.
"Sacrifices offered by July 13 martyrs were aimed at fighting autocracy and inspired people to strive for establishment of a true democratic setup in the state which so far seems a distant dream," Tarigami said in a statement.

"One may disagree, but ground reality is that institutions of governance have not come to the expectations of the people for dispensation of justice and better delivery of services. The polity of the state has also so far failed to inculcate real democratic values that could facilitate people to get the maximum out of existing democratic and political institutions of the state," he said.