Saman Wasae
The normal activities of any normal teen include; studies, games, TV, Facebook etc etc. In this long list there is hardly a possibility of Hizbul Mjahedeen. For young Burhan Wani however, things were a lot different. He grew up in a world of constant threat and terror, he knew who the enemy was, and they carried the Indian flag. He just could not fathom a world safe in the current state of affairs. He fled home and took matters in his own hands at the meager age of 15. Six years later his videos on social media inspired many and put him under the spotlight with a bounty of Rs. 1 Million, the 21 year old had gained quite notoriety in Indian circles, who waited for the right time to assassinate him. Wani’s sacrifice though is not in vain as his martyrdom has sparked new energy into Kashmiri struggle for freedom.
Wani’s sacrifice evokes a sense of déjà vu as many are taken exactly eighty five years into the past, when a young gun shook Kashmiris to stand up and take charge of their own destinies. Historians recount his speech; he pointed towards the Dogra Palace and asked people to raise their voice against the atrocities, “We have no machine guns. But we have plenty of stones and bricks.” His name was Abdul Qadeer, a servant of an Englishman he happened to attend the meeting of “Khanqa-e-Maula”. His words echoed and hit hard as the very same night he was arrested. Thousands gathered outside his court hearings. Tensions ran high and escalated to a blood bath on July 13, 1931 when force was misused on the protestors outside the court room and the Governor in a hurry to suppress the enraged crowd ordered to open fire. Some twenty two people laid their lives, but their sacrifice was the starting point the stamp of approval on the struggle of their Kashmiri people. This was the first in the long list of sacrifices that followed in the long list of struggle. The day is commemorated as “Kashmir’s Martyrs Day”. It is celebrated throughout the world each year signifying the Kashmir cause and renewed commitment towards its achievement.
Both the incidents are eighty five years apart, three generation at the very least but the similarities and the underlying message is crystal clear, “freedom!” According to reports of Amnesty International, some 94,000 Kashmiris have been killed in the last 17 years by Indian security forces. Under section 7 of “Armed Forces Services Special Powers Act” the forces have the freedom to persecute and violate human rights, a green card to do whatever they like in other words. Since 2008 the Indians were fairly confident that they have finally suppressed Kashmiris into submission but Wani’s story tells a completely different tale. No matter how hard they try the wounds from the last century stand fresh and each generation carries them as their own. The so-called reforms and “leaving them alone” policy has not worked at all. The youth may have turned out differently and people would not have risen to oppose incidents like Wani’s had they been given security and gross human rights violations would have ceased, giving way to real reforms, including the right of self determination. Wani might have stopped had his brother been not killed by the forces had he not seen atrocities on his people growing up, had he not felt powerless without taking up arms. The biggest mistake that India is making and has always made is pinning everything on Pakistan. Emotions and Attitudes cannot be planted; the Indians have always laid the groundwork themselves and have done so for centuries by turning a blind eye towards the people.
As Muslims sitting across the border, the empathy should never cease. We should ensure that our brethren never feel alone. Whether it’s the United Nations or the Organization of the Islamic Conference Pakistan should not let India succeed in making the world turn a blind eye. Wani was buried in Pakistan’s flag. The symbolism speaks volume about the bond Pakistan has with Kashmir. It is geography, culture, heritage, religion. Each year on July the 13thwe reassert this bond a bit more making it ever so stronger. There will be a day when Kashmir will see freedom, the higher the difficulty the greater the strength it exudes for the Kashmiris, who remain relentless in pursuit of their goals.
