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From Maqbool Bhat to Afzal Guru
Kashmir sees another son being hanged

Pervez Majeed
(02.10.2006)





When a Delhi court awarded death sentence to the Kashmiri Muhammad Afzal Guru, what first came to minds of the agonized Kashmiris was  a previous hanging in Delhi’s Tihar jail. That hanging changed not only the course of Kashmir history, but also resulted in a drastic change in the political thinking of Kashmiris.

On February 11, 1984, Muhammad Maqbool Bhat was hanged in Tihar jail. Prima facie, Bhat was hanged for killing a CID inspector of J&K Police. But there is hardly any one in Kashmir to believe that. Kashmiris believe that Bhat was hanged for political reasons - as he set the struggle for freedom in motion. 

After his hanging, Maqbool Bhat has emerged as ‘father of nation’ exemplified by his struggle against Indian state. But when he started his campaign in 1960’, there were few to understand him. Even he was imprisoned in Pakistan for being an Indian agent. His whole political life was marred with strife. He tried hard to educate his people about their political rights, but the Kashmiris did not heed Bhat at the time.

In an incident, a police inspector was killed when fired by Bhat’s associates, but it was Maqbool Bhat who was charged of killing the inspector. This accusation led to his hanging in Tihar jail. But Bhat’s friends say the execution of the leader was political. Though Bhat was in jail since 1975, India decided to hang him on Feb 11 1984, when in London a little known organization Liberation Army kidnapped and killed Mr Mahatray, the assistant High Commissioner of India which India believed was a front for JKLF.

If the Indian authorities believe that Bhat’s release would have allowed him to spread the separatist campaign in Kashmir, his hanging did that far too strongly and widely. His death gave a whole new generation of Kashmiris a reason to fight Indian dominance and his hanging came to be celebrated as new resolve and strength of the Kashmiri nation.

At the time of his hanging, there were no protests in Kashmir. Except slain separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone, nobody took out a protest demonstration or gave a call for strike. In a bitter twist of fate, Bhat’s body was not handed over to his relatives and he was laid to rest inside high security Tihar jail premises. When Delhi-based noted Kashmiri journalist Iftikhar Geelani, who was imprisoned in Tihar jail in June 2002 till January 2003, revealed after his release that some structure was being constructed on Bhat’s grave in Tihar jail premises, there was a lot of hue and cry in Kashmir.

Bhat is perhaps the only Kashmiri pro-freedom leader who was idolized after his death. When the mass struggle began in early 1990’s in Kashmir, Bhat became its symbol. The leader, now perhaps the only undisputed leader of Kashmir was revered as “Shaheed-e-Azam,” (the grand martyr.) Now the one time “murderer” has many claimants. Besides, the leaders of many JKLF factions including Yasin Malik, Javid Mir and Amanullah Khan, Bhat is regarded as mentor by other separatist leaders like Shabir Shah and others.  Revered as “National Hero” his pictures are hung in almost all the offices of separatist parties.

Each year on his death anniversary on February 11, a general strike is observed in Kashmir. People protest demanding the return of his mortal remains.

Terming the hanging of Bhat a “cold blood murder” Bhat’s associate Hashim Qureshi said:  Police inspector was killed by Bhat sahib’s associate Aurangzeb, who was later killed by police in a gunfight. Bhat sahib was unhappy with Aurangzeb for shooting at police inspector.

“It was because of Shaheed Maqbool Bhat’s martyrdom that Kashmiris are conscious now and they are protesting against death sentence to another Kashmiri.” Hashim adds.

“His hanging was a custodial killing” says Azam Inqilabi, another associate of Bhat and prominent Kashmiri pro-freedom activist. “Present struggle is a result of Bhat’s martyrdom,” Inqilabi said.

Saying that he was hanged for the killing of Mahatray, Bhat’s defense council and former deputy Chief Minister, Muzaffar Baig said. “Bhat’s execution was a revenge killing, even some legal formalities were not completed in his hanging.” Baig said that without J&K High Court  signing  the “confirmation of sentence,” the Supreme Court uphold his death sentence.

When Bhat was hanged, it was business as usual in Kashmir. But now that another Kashmiri is being hanged in Tihar jail, the whole Kashmir has come on streets. Not only the pro-freedom parties, the pro-India parties too have stressed upon the Indian Prime Minister and President of India to revoke Afzal’s death sentence. The pro-India chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad too has intervened and sought prime minister’s personal interference into the grave issue. In Bhat’s case, the then chief minister Farooq Abdullah had signed the death warrant. In a recent  interview to Kashmir Affairs, London Farooq Abdullah denied of having done so.

Even if there are few similarities between the death sentences of two Kashmiris, what makes them interrelated is that it was Bhat’s hanging which made Kashmiris to believe that they are killed because being Kashmiris. Now that Kashmiris are convinced that Bhat was killed just for fighting for “Kashmir cause,” they are not beeiving thatr Afzal is being hanged just for backing - up the Parliament attackers. They opine that like the Bhat’s execution, the latest one has something to do with the ongoing struggle in Kashmir.