Excelsior Correspondent
![Chief Minister Omar Abdullah along with his senior party leaders paying floral tributes to Madr-e-Meharban on her 14th death anniversary at Hazratbal in Srinagar on Friday. -Excelsior/ Amin War](http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/page316-300x168.jpg)
-Excelsior/ Amin War
SRINAGAR, July 11: National Conference today observed the 14th death anniversary of Madr-e-Meharban, Begum Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah by organizing a grand function at Qaid Mazaar, Naseem Bagh here.
NC Working President and Chief Minister of State, Omar Abdullah, senior party functionaries, Ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs, Ex-MPs, Ex-MLAs and Ex-MLCs paid floral tributes to Madr-e-Meharban.
In a message on the occasion, Dr Farooq Abdullah recollected the spirit of social service and social justice that was upheld by Madr-e-Meharban and descrbed her as an epitome of selfless social service, conviction, piety and courage.
“She was not only a pillar of moral support to Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah but also a compassionate mother of the people who always demonstrated a commitment to lead them in his absence against all odds”, he said, adding “she worked tirelessly for the amelioration of the poor and weak sections of society and took upon herself the role to be the voice of the downtrodden”.
Dr Abdullah said that the credit for galvanizing the Red Cross movement in the State goes to Madr-e-Meharban and it was her cherished dream to see a network of social support groups in the State to give succour and support to the needy. “The establishment of Miskeen Bagh Education and Craft Training Centre for Women was also a historic initiative envisioned by Begum Sher-i-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah”, he added.
He said that National Conference has a glorious history of enormous sacrifices and public services at its back and will script yet another historic comeback in the forthcoming Assembly elections. “We have suffered with the people rather than making them suffer. We have sacrificed power for decades rather than selling the interests of our State for power. We will continue to be the flag-bearers of Kashmiriyat, Internal Autonomy and Article 370 despite all odds”, Dr Abdullah said.
Addressing a gathering at the Mazaar of Madr-e-Meharban at Hazaratbal, Omar Abdullah asked the NC workers to disseminate the glaring achievements and performance of the Government among the common people as also make them aware of the political, social and development agenda of National Conference for a modern, educated, developed and politically stable Jammu and Kashmir.
“Your history is glorious, your work-done is unprecedented, your sacrifices are conspicuous and notable, your past and present is complementary and supplementary to each other, your future is bright and splendid, your ideology is the ideology of people, your political motive is public service, peace, development and empowerment of people and public support is the fountain head of your strength”, he told NC workers asking them to make new generation aware of the historic role Jammu and Kashmir National Conference has played in the past and is playing at present to safeguard the interests of the State and defeat the designs of conspirators.
Paying rich tributes to Madr-e-Meharban, Omar Abdullah said that the best way of paying tributes to her is that all of us will carry forward her mission of comprehensive development of common people particularly, poor, downtrodden, women, children and weaker sections of the society.
The General Secretary, National Conference, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Additional General Secretary, Dr Mustafa Kamaal, Provincial President, Kashmir, Nasir Aslam Wani, senior Ministers, Abdul Rahim Rather and Mohammad Akbar Lone, District President, Srinagar, Peer Afaq Ahmad also spoke on the occasion and referred to the role and sacrifices of Madr-e-Meharban while paying her rich tributes.