Lahore, September 29

A non-profit foundation in Pakistan has urged India and Pakistan to honour freedom fighter Bhagat Singh with the highest civil award in recognition of his bravery and sacrifice for the people of the sub-continent, as it observed the 115th birth anniversary of the pre-partition era revolutionary leader.

The Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation observed Singh’s birth anniversary on Wednesday on the premises of Lahore High Court (LHC).

The lawyers’ community cut a cake amid slogans in favour of Singh and his fellow comrades Shivaram Hari Rajguru and Sukhdev.

Speaking on the occasion, the foundation’s chairman Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi paid rich tributes to Singh.

He urged the Indian and Pakistani prime ministers (Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif) to give Singh the highest civil award in recognition of his bravery and sacrifice for the people of the sub-continent.

He also asked them to restore social and economic ties and introduce an easily accessible visa policy for promoting peace between the two countries.

Former Supreme Court Bar Association president Peer Kaleem Ahmad reiterated the foundation’s demand to rename the Shadman Chowk in Lahore after the name of Singh who was hanged along with Rajguru and Sukhdev by the British rulers on March 23, 1913.

The foundation demanded the new British King Charles III should apologise to Pakistan and India and the families of the three revolutionaries and pay them a huge compensation.

It also demanded that the Pakistani government issue commemorative stamps and coins to honour Singh.

Besides, it said a major road in the country should also be named after him and include lessons about his courage and bravery in the curriculum.