Bhagat Singh's birth anniversary celebrated in Pakistan

LAHORE: The 107th birth anniversary of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh was celebrated in Pakistan's Lahore city, where a cake was cut amid slogans like "freedom is our right".

Nearly 300 people gathered at Shadman Chowk yesterday for the celebration. Bhagat Singh was born on September 28, 1907.

"He gave his life for the cause of restoring power to the people... we need more people like him today," Baba Najmi, a Punjabi poet said at Shadman Chowk, where Bhagat Singh was hanged in 1931.

They cut a cake and held a vigil in his memory chanting "We want freedom!" and "Freedom is our right", Express Tribune reported.

Writer Farrukh Sohail Goindi said Bhagat Singh's birthday was an important event for the working classes of the Indo-Pak subcontinent. "Today we are fighting against the feudal system to establish a people's democracy," he said.

Abdullah Malik, another participant, said, "We want the government to name the Shadman Chowk after Bhagat Singh as a tribute to the great freedom fighter."

The city government had decided to re-name Fawara Chowk to Bhaghat Singh Chowk in October 2012. The plan, however, was put on hold after the report of renaming drew objections and a group opposed to it held a protest demonstration.

Tehreek-i-Hurmat-i-Rasool member and Shadman traders' Union President Zahid Butt challenged the move in the Lahore High Court. The court then restrained the city government from issuing an official notification in this regard.

The hearing of the case is yet to conclude. A candlelight vigil was also arranged on the occasion. The speakers paid tributes to Bhagat Singh, saying he was the hero of the people of the Indian sub-continent who struggled against the British to free the lands from the foreign occupants.

On March 23, 1931, following his trial for involvement in the 'Lahore conspiracy case', the British government hanged him at Shadman Chowk.