Srinagar,
Feb 10: “We couldn’t fight to get back Bhat uncle’s mortal remains; our
existence had been made very difficult,” says Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, a
nephew of Maqbool Bhat.
Aijaz, who is presently pursuing Masters
Degree in Psychology from Kashmir University, narrates how the Bhat
family suffered after the Indian government hanged him.
“The family
suffered a huge setback after Bhat uncle was hanged. Each member of the
family, young and old, was frequently interrogated and harassed by army
and police,” Aijaz recalls.
Aijaz is the son of Maqbool Bhat’s younger brother, Ghulam Nabi Bhat, who later died in an accident at Chanapora in 1994.
“I was interrogated by army when I was studying in 6th standard,” Aijaz said.
Aijaz’s
elder brother, Pervaiz Ahmad, a research scholar in Kashmir
University’s Chemistry Department says the Bhat clan lost all the
elders after Maqbool Bhat was hanged. “My second uncle Manzoor Ahmad
Bhat was killed in a fake gunfight after his arrest by Army in Trehgam.
I am sure that it was the first case of custodial killing,” Ahmad told
Greater Kashmir.
Both Manzoor and Ghulam Nabi were actively associated with JKLF until their death.
Maqbool
Bhat’s hanging, Pervaiz adds, was nothing but a murder. “The Indian
government didn’t even complete the formalities required to hand a
person. They bypassed all norms,” he said. “We had no money to engage
lawyers and seek his mortal remains,” Aijaz added.
Maqbool Bhat is
presently survived by wife and two sons, and a daughter—all living in
Pakistan Administered Kashmir. Bhat’s elder son, Javaid Ahmad is an
Agriculture Scientist at Peshawar University, and his another son,
Showkat Maqbool Bhat is the president of the National Liberation Front
while Lubna Maqbool, the daughter, is a Lecturer in English at Karachi
University.
Maqbool Bhat’s mother, Pervaiz said, died some years
after his hanging. He said she was tortured in 1997 by the personnel of
the dreaded Special Task Force.
Pervaiz said the government of
India doesn’t allow Maqbool Bhat’s family and his other relatives in
PaK to visit the Valley. “We also want to go there, but the government
doesn’t issue us the passports,” he said.