Mirwaiz Umar Farooq- led All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has supported a strike call on January 21, saying that this "would serve as a mark of tribute to the mission of martyrs of Gawkadal massacre".

Paying glowing tributes to the martyrs of Gaw Kadal massacre on their 26th anniversary, a spokesman said: "Gaw Kadal was the first major massacre during Kashmir’s ongoing resistance movement when the oppressor forces opened fire at unarmed civilian protestors, martyring 52 among them."

The spokesman said that it was imperative upon the people of Kashmir to show commitment and steadfastness towards the freedom movement in order to realize the mission of the martyrs. 

"26 years had passed since the massacre, but neither had any probe been ordered into the massacre nor the guilty nabbed and punished," the spokesman said.

Supporting the shutdown call in Gaw Kadal and its adjoining areas given by Peoples Political Party (PPP), a constituent of APHC, on January 21, 2016, he said: "The call (for strike) was justified because this would serve as a mark of tribute to the mission of the martyrs and as a mark of protest against the oppressive forces besides sending a message to the international community to use their good offices for the resolution of Kashmir issue."