Slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani has been declared a ‘freedom icon’ by Pakistan as they expressed their solidarity with Kashmiris in their ‘fight against the Indian oppression’.
To commemorate the ‘victims of atrocities by Indian troops in Kashmir’, Pakistan has issued 20 such special postage stamps.
A Times of India report quoted a senior official of Pakistan Post as saying that stamps — many with disturbing images – were issued from its headquarters in Karachi on July 24 to locally and internationally highlight the plight of people living in Kashmir.
The stamps also carry captions such as ‘Burhan Wani (1994-2016) freedom icon’. Wani (22) along with two of his associates was killed in a gunbattle with forces in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on July 8, 2016, triggering over five month long unrest in the Valley during which about 90 people were killed and thousands injured in forces firing.
Besides the slain militant commander, other captions that feature on ‘commemorative’ stamps include ‘use of chemical weapons’, ‘use of pellet guns’, ‘mass graves’, ‘braid chopping’, and the pictures are that of terrorists killed in encounters in the Kashmir Valley over the last few years.
According to the newspaper report, the stamps were issued on ‘Kashmir Martyrs Day’ by the Philately Bureau, Karachi and are available on e-bay for $6.99 (approximately Rs 500). In Pakistan, the stamps are sold at Rs8 (local currency) per piece.
