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J&K to celebrate birth centenary of Sheikh Abdullah

Staff Reporter

Rich tributes paid to the `Lion of Kashmir'

Jammu: The Congress-led Jammu and Kashmir government is set to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Sheikh Abdullah as the State Government on Sunday announced that keeping in view the sacrifices made by the late leader it will organise a series of exhibitions about the life and times of this visionary leader. Instructions have been given to locate rare archival material about the `Lion of Kashmir', which will be put on public display.

Interestingly in the last three years of People Democratic Party led rule, the birth anniversary of Sheikh Abdullah had become a subdued affair.

The Governor, Lt. Gen. (Retd) S.K. Sinha, paid glowing tributes to Sher-i-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on his birth anniversary on Sunday, saying that he was a charismatic leader who left an indelible mark on the socio-political history of Jammu and Kashmir.

In a message, the Governor recalled the revolutionary steps taken by the legendary leader in steering the people out of poverty and backwardness towards political and social emancipation and economic resurgence.

"The Land Reforms brought by Sheikh Sahib was a pioneering and landmark step towards making the tillers masters of their destiny," he observed.

General Sinha described Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah as a true secular and nationalist leader who was a source of inspiration to the rest of the country at the time of the partition when communal frenzy had engulfed the State.

The Governor also referred to his personal interactions with Sheikh Sahib on various occasions and said: "I treasure those memories."

The Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad has also paid rich tributes to late Sher-i-Kashmir, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on his birth anniversary and said that Jammu and Kashmir is fortunate to have had such a towering leader. Mr. Azad said that late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah is known through out the world as an honest, dedicated and secular personality who always worked for the welfare of the masses.

He described the late leader as a great son of the soil, who worked with eminent figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and other national and international leaders.

Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah appeared on the political scene of the State when the people of Jammu and Kashmir were living under feudal and monarchical rule.

So firm was his commitment to non-violence that even during the 22 year that he was out of power, he did not resort to violence to resolve his differences with the ruling powers of the time.

It was also through non-violent constitutional means that Sheikh Saheb enacted some of the most revolutionary land reforms in the State. This benefited poor and landless farmers throughout the State.

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J&K to celebrate birth centenary of Sheikh Abdullah

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