Maqool Butt shaheed’s death anniversary

The Jammu and Kashmir National Liberation Front and both factions of All Parties Hurriyat Conference have given call for shutdown in Indian Held Kashmir to commemorate 32nd death anniversary of Maqbool Butt, the co-founder of pro-independence Jammu Kashmir National Liberation Front (JKNLF). He was charged with murder of an Indian intelligence officer Amar Chand in Kashmir way back in mid-1960s and executed in Delhi Tihar jail in 1984. Like Afzal Guru, his mortal remains were buried inside the prison premises. Official sources said that areas falling under police stations of Khanyar, Rainawari, Nowhatta, S.R. Gunj, Safa Kadal and Maisuma in Srinagar will remain under curfew-like restrictions from dawn on Tuesday till further orders. Similar restrictions have been enforced in some other Valley towns and sensitive areas, what the authorities call as precautionary measure. Various leaders have been detained in police stations or placed under house arrest.
He was a Kashmiri freedom fighter and a leading voice of freedom among Kashmiris. His politics came into conflict with the state machinery of IOK when he led several agitations for the political rights of the IOK people. Subsequently, as it appears from his interviews and by some of his colleagues, he went underground and then in 1958 crossed over to Azad Kashmir along with his uncle. They were arrested and interrogated by the Pakistani military forces in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK). They were released only after securing references from some Valley Kashmiris who were settled in Muzaffarabad, the AJK capital. They went to Lahore where Maqbool’s uncle made efforts through his contacts for his nephew’s admission to Punjab University, but to no avail. So they left for Peshawar and Maqbool Butt got admission in Peshawar University to do Urdu Literature, and joined a local newspaper ‘Anjaam’ to earn his living.
At Peshawar University, he met such people as Ahmed Fraaz, one of the big legends of romantic and radical or commonly called progressive Urdu poetry. It was also there that he was approached by Amanullah Khan, originally from Gilgit, a leading activist among Kashmiri Diaspora in Pakistan. The Tashkant Agreement between India and Pakistan that followed the war further disillusioned Maqbool Butt and he joined Jammu Kashmir Plebiscite Front (KPF) in 1965, which brought together almost all the pro independence Kashmiris from AJK and Pakistan to one platform. Failing to convince the KPF leadership Amanullah and Maqbool Butt formed Jammu Kashmir National Liberation Front (JKNLF) in a bus while travelling from Mirpur to Rawalpindi. They then approached Major Amanullah Khan, a retired Pakistani army officer and formalised NLF at his residence on 13th August 1965. Maqbool Butt, Aurangzeb, Major Amaan Ulla and Kala Khan crossed over back to the IOK in June 1966.
The purpose was to explore the feelings of Kashmiris there with the possibilities of forming some ‘cells’ there. Most of the Kashmiri record on the history of NLF and Maqbool Butt shows that on their way back, they were intercepted by the Indian intelligence agencies and in a clash with one of the security teams Aurangzeb, who was from Gilgit, and the CID inspector Amar Chand was left dead. Maqbool Butt and Kala Khan were arrested on 14th September 1966. Two First Information Reports were registered against Maqbool Bhatt. The first one lodged at Police Station Sopore, Kashmir (F.I.R. 84/66) alleged that he crossed the ceasefire line without a valid legal permit with an illegal purpose to overthrow the lawfully established government of Jammu and Kashmir. The second F.I.R. filed at Police Station Panzala, Kashmir (F.I.R. 38/66) charged Maqbool Butt with the murder of Amar Chand.
It was alleged that Butt and accomplices first took cash, ornaments and other documents from C.I.D. Inspector Amar Chand’s house, and then abducted him and killed him. He was also charged for being the enemy agent. He was sentenced to death for murder by the Delhi High Court and hanged on 11th February 1984. His hanging further contributed to the sense of alienation among Kashmiris, and he continues to be a major source of inspiration for the freedom fighters. He was the first Kashmiri to be judicially murdered on Indian soil – making him the first authentic martyr of the Kashmiri independence movement. His execution day is celebrated as Martyr Day every year. Families of Maqbool Butt and Afzal Guru demand their remains, but authorities refuse to do so.
In his defence Maqbool Bhatt denied all charges except that he had crossed the ceasefire line in June 1966 without a valid legal permit. He added that he did not think it necessary to obtain a permit for moving around in his own country. The Court found him guilty and passed death sentenced on him while others were given the life sentence. It wais also reported that upon announcement of the death sentence by Judge Neil Kant Ganjo, Maqbool Butt had said: “Judge Sahib! The rope has not yet been made that can hang Maqbool Butt.” He is also referred to as saying “if Indian authorities of occupation think that by hanging me, they can crush the Kashmir struggle, they are grossly mistaken. The struggle actually will start after my hanging.” He was absolutely right because since then Kashmiris have given unprecedented sacrifices for liberation of Kashmir.