Bhagat Singh’s 117th birth anniversary celebrated in Lahore

Lahore: Bhagat Singh’s 117th birth anniversary was celebrated on Saturday by a non-profit foundation in the Punjab province of Pakistan.

The Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation observed the freedom fighter’s birth anniversary on the premises of the Lahore High Court (LHC), and a cake-cutting event was held on the court’s lawn.

The foundation's head Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi paid rich tributes to the independence hero who was hanged along with his comrades Raj Guru and Sukh Dev by the British in 1931.

Qureshi said Singh's blood was unjustly spilled and in pursuit of justice, the foundation filed a petition in the Lahore High Court in 2013 for a retrial of his case claiming that proper legal procedures had not been followed.

Asserting that the petition has been pending for 11 years, Qureshi expressed hope that justice would eventually be served in Singh's case.

Qureshi called on the governments of India and Pakistan to honour the contributions of the national hero by awarding him the highest civilian honours of their respective countries – the Bharat Ratna from India and the Nishan-e-Pakistan from Pakistan.

He also urged that postage stamps be issued in Singh's name and a major road be renamed in his honour.

Member of the Supreme Court Bar's Executive Committee Mian Ghulamullah Joiya said Singh's memory will remain alive in the hearts of the people. He emphasised that they will continue celebrating Singh’s legacy and educate people about his sacrifices.

Bhagat Singh was executed by the British in 1931 at the age of 23.

His courage and spirit of sacrifice in the face of likely death and his idealism made him one of the most popular icons of the freedom movement.