Mehbooba Mufti Accuses NC of Double Standards over Rejection of July 13 Resolution

SRINAGAR: A political controversy erupted on Thursday after the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker rejected a resolution moved by PDP MLA Waheed Ur Rehman Para seeking to declare July 13 as Martyrs’ Day — a date commemorating the 1931 uprising against Dogra rule.

Former Chief Minister and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti strongly criticised the move, calling it a “disappointing” rejection that reflected “lip service more than any serious effort.” In a social media post, she said the proposal made earlier by the Omar Abdullah-led government to the Lieutenant Governor for declaring July 13 and December 5 as public holidays “would have carried more weight” had the Speaker supported PDP’s resolution within the Assembly.

“The Speaker’s outright rejection of the resolution was unexpected and disappointing,” Mehbooba wrote, adding that the act exposes a lack of commitment to Kashmir’s political legacy. She accused the National Conference of “double-speak” on history and said their silence on the matter amounted to complicity rather than commitment.

The dropped resolution, formally submitted by Para, stated, “This Legislative Assembly upholds and resolves to declare 13 July as official holiday to remember the sacrifices of the protestors against the autocratic monarch forces… This House affirms 13 July to be remembered as the beginning of the political awakening among the people of Jammu and Kashmir for democratic rights.”

Martyrs’ Day was traditionally observed as a public holiday in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir until 2019, when the observance was dropped from the official calendar following the abrogation of Article 370. The date commemorates the killing of 22 protesters in Srinagar on July 13, 1931, during a demonstration against the Dogra regime.