The Chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Mohammed
Yasin
Malik wrote the following article earlier last year before his arrest
by the
puppet state government. He is currently held in Johdpur jail in
Rajistan.
It is now available on jklf website
Maqbool Butt Shaheed
- My leader my mentor
By Yasin Malik
I have never met Maqbool Butt. I have
never seen him, except for his
photographs. But still he has always remained
an inspiration for me. On
February 11, every year, spring comes to me with
renewed inspiration to
continue with his struggle.
When I was arrested on
August 6, 1990, I was bleeding profusely,
blindfolded, tired and had not
slept for two nights. Within another two days
later I was shifted to an
unknown destination out of Srinagar. On August 8,
when the policemen removed
the bandage from my eyes I was told that I was in
Tihar Jail's death cell.
Lucky for me, that’s where Maqbool Butt lived for
years. A middle aged Jail
constable made sarcastic remarks to me in his
comparison of me to Maqool
Butt.
"You look so depressed and week when your leader was like an iron
man,
determined to do anything and always hale and hearty", he remarked in
Hindi.
His comments touched my soul. My exhaustion and weakness vanished. I
pledged
there and then to follow our great leader's example.
Just like any
Kashmiri prisoner I wanted to see the grave of Maqbool Butt
Shaheed who was
buried within the jail. I remember the very first thing I
asked for in Tihar
jail was to be shown his grave. I was merely shown the
iron-fenced area in
the backyard of the jail from a distance. I asked the
Jailer if I could go
near and touch the grave. The officer stood up and
refused permission in a
coarse language. I insisted that I wanted to visit
the grave to pay my
obeisance to my leader but he cruelly ordered his
subordinates to take me
away.
Sometime later some of the inmates took me near the fenced area.
Desperately
wanting to touch the grave, I preyed to God for the opportunity
to be near
it. As I stood there, where no one was allowed to go, heavens
opened and
water hammered down. Rain became heavy and the water flowed toward
me. I
felt the eerie air and hissing of nearby trees made me feel as if
Maqbool
Butt was standing in front of me. I don't know why but I started
crying.
Tears rolled out of my eyes and mixed with the rainwater. I just
kneeled
down and offered Fatiah. When I went back to my cell and wept loudly.
As I
cried made my second pledge. I vowed not to rest until his dream
of
independent Kashmir was realised. I pledged not to surrender at any
cost.
During my time in that prison, I acquired information about what
Maqbool
Butt did in Jail, how friendly he became with inmates and prison
officers.
One of the senior employees in the Jail described him as a perfect
man who
was meaningful in his ideas and actions. I was told he spoke very
little and
therefore newcomers usually took a while to notice his presence
even when
they were in the same barrack. At meal times he ate very little and
his food
used to remain in front of him for hours, which irritated the
jail
authorities. For strangers, he was numb as he remained in thought
process
most of the time, but those who knew him knew well how uneasy he was
in
chains.
Maqbool Butt was a realist who understood the enormous odds
against him. He
was a romantic, ready to embrace death for what he believed
in.
A 10 years old girl, Mehak, once asked me when we would achieve our goal
of
freedom. Mehak was one of millions of children from across Jammu-Kashmir
who
posed this question every day. When I was her age, the same question
would
float in my mind repeatedly and keep me restless.
I couldn’t find an
answer then but when I joined the movement it came clear
to me. Let me share
that secret with you, today. I believe the date for our
national freedom was
written on the day the father of the nation, Shaheed
Maqbool Butt, was hanged
to death in Tihar Jail by India.
I have set a goal for myself to discover
that date. I am clear in my mind. I
have no doubt about our destiny and the
date for our independence.
The oppressor may continue to divert your
attention and attempt to weaken
our movement through false propaganda. But
the resolute determination,
supreme struggle and sacrifices of
Shaheed-e-Kashmir, Maqbool Butt and
thousands of his followers who died for
the sacred cause of independence
will bear fruit. It is our job to make sure
that their goal is achieved
sooner or later.
When I think of earlier
generations who preceded us and the ones who will
follow, I am reminded of
the progression of water waves moving towards the
shore. As one crests
another falls, almost in anticipation of its turn. We
have arrived here
because of those who have gone before us, and the same
will be true for the
next generation. This natural phenomenon suggests that
we too must fallow
those who laid the foundation of the revolution in our
country for the
betterment of our people. Mabool Butt started alone but
today hundreds of
thousands of Kashmiris are with him. Tomorrow we will
achieve his goal and
set new goals for progress into the next century as a
free nation.
Today,
Maqbool Butt lives in every Kashmiri's heart and soul. He shall
continue to
occupy that place for the centuries to come. He was and always
will be a
legend and a hero to the patriotic people of Jammu-Kashmir no
matter which
side of the divide they live in.
For me, great men like martyr Maqbool Butt,
who made millions wakeup from
deep slumber and made us learn how to lead life
with self-respect and die
with dignity, their message will never fade. We
will hear their message loud
and clear every year until victory.
Yasin
Malik, Chairman JKLF, Srinagar
