ANP commemorates Babhara Martyrs Day Tauseef-ur-Rahman

ANP commemorates Babhara Martyrs Day
Tauseef-ur-Rahman
Saturday, August 13, 2011

PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party (ANP) on Friday commemorated Babhara Martyrs Day and paid rich tributes to those who laid down their lives for the Pakhtun rights on August 12, 1948.

The party organised Quran Khwani at the Bacha Khan Markaz, the party’s central secretariat, in Peshawar. Provincial leaders and a large number of party workers attended the event.

A ceremony was also held at Babhara village in Charsadda district where Senior Minister and ANP leader Bashir Bilour, adviser to chief minister Mukhtiar Khan, district organizer Khalid Khan, Chairman district development committee Qasim Khan and party workers placed floral wreaths on the monuments to the people slain in the firing incident.

Addressing the party workers, Bashir Bilour lauded the sacrifices of hundreds of Pakhtuns who were unarmed and were demanding release of their leaders arrested by the then provincial government led by Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan.

Attributing the recent achievements of the party to Babhara martyrs, Bashir Bilour said the ANP followed in the footsteps of the elders who struggled for the rights of the Pakhtun people. He termed the killing of Pakhtuns at Babhara a black chapter of Pakistan’s history, adding that the Pakhtun people would always condemn the incident. He said history was witness to the fact that ANP always strived for Pakhtuns’ rights through peaceful means and rendered many sacrifices for the cause.

He said due to acts of terrorism the Pakhtuns were faced with an undeclared world war in their land. “The price paid by Pakhtuns in recent war on terror will bear fruit and peace will be restored. The achievements of ANP in the last three years will usher in an era of progress and prosperity,” he stressed.

The ANP used to organize big public gathering on Babhara Martyrs Day. However, for last few years due to growing incidents of terrorism and attacks on the party leaders, ANP was restricted to placing floral wreath and organizing a symbolic gathering in Babhara village.

On August 12, 1948, the security forces had opened fire on a protest rally of Khudai Khidmatgars in Babhara village, resulting in the killing of more than 602 people and injuries to thousands men and women.

Source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=62642&Cat=7#.TkX4eRx1tco.facebook
at 9:12 PM