There is a wrong perception that resistance movement of Kashmir always lacked dedication, valour and intellect. That learned people have never been a part of this movement. Although during present days our educated youth are proving this notion as absurd but long ago Maqbool Butt’s life, struggle and sacrifice had invalidated this misinformation completely. I am privileged to have met some of Maqbool Butt’s friends and listen to what they had to say about Maqbool. Master Sikander Malik studied with Maqbool from class 1st to 10th at Trehgam High School. During a chat he revealed many hidden aspects of his life. According to him unparallelled wisdom and intellect were present in Maqbool as God’s gift. Maqbool’s  father Ghulam Qadir Butt and Mother Raja Begum were miles ahead of their times. Qadir was a tailor but his intellect and style were so famous in whole Trehgam and surroundings that no big social function in Trehgam and surroundings was held without his presence. Maqbool was a blend of his father’s intellect and style and his mother’s wisdom and humbleness. Sikander Malik further said that it was Maqbool Butt who stood first in whole area in class 8th. He stunned his teachers and fellow students by delivering a fiery speech in English on “urban life” and compelled school headmaster Farooqi cheer for him. Maqbool was a born leader, an attractive and good-looking man, a God gifted brain, a prolific speaker, an athlete and a brave soul. 

11th February 2014 marks the 30th year of the execution and ‘post-execution imprisonment’ of Maqbool Bhatt who during the life course of his political struggle was tried, imprisoned and tortured several times as a ‘Pakistani Agent’ by the Indian and as an ‘Indian Agent’ by the Pakistani rulers. He himself stated before the Indian and Pakistani courts that he was not an ‘Agent’ of one or the other occupier in his motherland but an agent of the freedom of Kashmir and Kashmiri people. Before an Indian court where he was tried under the charges of ‘enemy agent’ he said:

 ‘‘I have no problem in accepting the charges brought against me except with one correction. I am not an enemy agent but the enemy, enemy of the Indian state occupation in Kashmir. Have a good look at me and recognise me full well, I am the enemy of your illegal rule in Kashmir”. 

 

گیارہ فروری 2014کو مقبول بٹ کی شہادت کو تیس  سال اور تہار جیل میں دہلی میں اسیری کو اڑتیس  سال ہو جائیں گے۔ کشمیر میں قومی آزادی کی جدوجہد کے محترم ترین نام مقبول بٹ کو ان کی سیاسی زندگی کے دوران دشمن کا ایجینٹ ہونے کے الزام میں بھارت اور پاکستان  دونون نے جیل میں ڈالا اور تشدد کیا۔ خود مقبول بٹ کے بقول وہ اپنے وطن کشمیر پر قابض کسی بھی ملک کا  نہیں بلکہ ریاست جموں کشمیر کے عوام کا ایجینٹ تھا۔ ایک بھارتی عدالت میں جہاں اس پر دشمن کے ایجینٹ ہونے مقدمہ چل رہا تھا مقبول بٹ نے کہا :

" مجھے خود پر لگایا گیا الزام تسلیم کرنے میں کوئی عار نہیں ہاں مگر ایک ترمیم کے ساتھ کہ میں دشمن کا ایجینٹ نہیں ہوں بلکہ میں ہی دشمن ہوں۔ مجھے اچھی طرح پہچان لیا جائے میں ہی کشمیر میں آپ کے غیرقانونی قبضے کا دشمن ہوں۔ "

It was one of those chilly evenings of winter of 1984 and I as usual was trying to gather news reports for next day’s issue of AINA which I was associated with, then. The budget session of the state assembly was on in winter capital Jammu and I would call Kashmir Times off

ices in Jammu to have the latest news about the day’s developments in the assembly. We, at AINA and Kashmir Times, had an understanding for exchanging the news. Kashmir Times had no one in Srinagar to look after the news and so was the case with AINA, without any correspondent in Jammu. Ved Bhasin, happened to be like part of our family, being one of the closet friends of late Shamim Ahmad Shamim and so the two papers decided to share the information on daily basis.

On that evening, if I remember correctly, it was February, 6, that I called Kashmir Times office, and my uncle, and a senior journalist, Mohammad Syed Malik, who was working then for Delhi based English daily Patriot and used to move to Jammu with annual durbar, picked up the phone. After briefing him about Srinagar items, I inquired from him the day’s developments in the assembly. “Zafar Ji, there is a big news, but you have to keep it as a secret till morning, when the paper comes out.......Maqbool Butt is being hanged on February, 11..... and this is our exclusive story. No one else (from amongst journalists) has any clue of this”, he told me in a hushed tone, as if none else could hear him.