A Tribute By Zafar
Khan
Sixteen years ago late Indira Gandhi the then Indian Prime minister
ordered
the judicial murder of Maqbool Ahmed Butt. Sixteen years on his body
remains
buried in some corner of the notorious Tihar gaol. Despite repeated
demands
from the people of Kashmir and indeed his family Shaheed-e- Kashmir's
mortal
remains have not been handed over. It appears that the Indian
authorities are
just as frightened of Maqbool Butt today as they ever were,
in letting people
of Kashmir to reclaim the mortal remains of Maqbool Butt,
lest he becomes
even greater focus of national aspirations and determination
for the masses!
An empty grave awaits his remains in the martyrs' cemetery in
Srinagar,
along side graves of thousands of men, women young and old alike,
who became
victims of militarised violence and oppression in Indian occupied
part of
Kashmir, especially since 1988. Martyrs' cemetery in Sirinagar will
indeed
be a fitting final resting place for Maqbool Butt, as he truly, has
become
the embodiment of Kashmiris' national spirit for freedom and
patriotism today.
Maqbool Butt was born in 1938 in a village called Trigham,
Kupwara district
in the valley of Kashmir, now within the Indian occupied
part of the state.
He hailed from an ordinary Kashmiri background. Like
countless other ordinary
people of Kashmir under the despotism of the Dogra
regime, his family too
eked out a living, relying mainly on the produce of
small land holding and
whatever extra available work.
His mother passed
away a little before his teens and his father remarried
soon. Maqbool Butt
had one real brother- Ghulam Nabi and five half brothers
and sisters. He
never fully reconciled with the loss of his mother. But from
all accounts his
step mother was devoted mother to all children and Maqbool
Butt was never
made to feel the lack of maternal warmth by his step mother.
His early
education up to matriculation in 1954 was obtained at his village
school,
which was only elevated to secondary level as a result of campaigning
by
himself. He went to Baramulla for higher education at St. Joseph's
College,
which was run my missionaries.
Maqbool Butt's political activities were
monitored by the authorities in
Indian held Kashmir, which got him into
trouble with them from time to time.
This meant that he would be forced to go
underground on occasions for weeks
and some time months. Eventually he had to
cross the ceasefire line into Azad
Kashmir in 1958. While in Azad Kashmir he
was able to concentrate on his
political activities with relative ease. He
made use of this apparent freedom
in Azad Kashmir, along with his colleagues
notably Amanullah Khan and others
to plot future strategies for energising
the masses from political and
ideological slumber. He returned to Indian held
Kashmir in 1966 as part of
this newly formulated strategy. He was arrested
and sentenced to death in
1968 accused of an offence he did not
commit.
However he escaped from Sirinagar gaol and once again crossed over to
Azad
Kashmir. In 1976 he went back to the Indian held part of his motherland.
He
was arrested again and remained incarcerated until 11th. February 1984,
when
under an illegal and vindictive political decision, late Indira
Gandhi
ordered his execution. It is important to note and recall that,
although
execution of Maqbool Butt had become extra judicial and illegal
under Indian
constitution, as he had been on Death Row for over two years,
and therefore
under the Indian law his sentence should have been commuted to
life
imprisonment; the late Indian Prime Minister still gave this act of
murder a
legal air by obtaining the 'black warrant' from the 'Kashmir
state
government' signed by the 'chief minister' Farooq Abdullah. In other
words
while the decision to hang Maqbool Butt for a crime he did not commit
was her
and her alone, she nevertheless made Farooq Abdullah responsible for
this
despicable act.
For centuries people of Kashmir have struggled to
regain the freedom they had
lost towards the end of Sixteen Century. This
struggle, primarily has always
been to re-assert their national, political
and geographic identity, as well
as of course, to maintain a particular
religious, social and cultural
heritage, peculiar only to peoples of all the
regions within Kashmir as a
whole. Ever since 1586 when the great Moghul
emperor Akbar, succeeded in
subjugation of Kashmir because of political
rivalry and divisions within the
Kashmiri ruling elite, the struggle against
outside rulers however has
continued in various forms. At the heart of this
struggle and resistance has
been the firm desire of Kashmiris to be masters
of their political destiny!
For the masses it has not always been an easy
course of action to undertake,
simply because non Kashmiri rulers have never
been short of quislings willing
to do their bidding for personal political
gain. Thousands of Kashmiris have
given their precious lives for freedom
throughout these centuries. Those
who resisted were even flayed alive for the
expressed purpose of deterrence
and dampening of the natural desire and
disposition of the people to be free.
Despite countless atrocities inflicted
on the masses as a direct consequence
of rule by outsiders and their local
agents, quest for freedom has never been
given up by them. Instead an abiding
sense of sacrifice has become a hallmark
of Kashmiri psyche.
It is within
this national and historic context of Kashmir, and the
inevitable socio-
cultural and political backdrop, and indeed the wider
societal framework,
which impacts on both the collective and individual
experiences and
consciousness of subjugated people. This then provided the
developmental
broad basis, which politically and ideologically nurtured
Maqbool Butt; and
above all imbued him with the spirit of sacrifice and
indeed the intense
sense of national duty.
The path that would lead him to freedom, justice and
national dignity had
therefore been charted and trodden by countless
generations of his
compatriots. Maqbool Butt simply exemplified and
epitomised the best and the
most honoured of the traditions and heritage of
his peoples' struggle for
freedom. It is in this context that his co
ideologue, close friend and
colleague Mr Amanullah Khan has said of him that
' Maqbool Butt was not just
a man of handsome features, good character and
charismatic personality, but
a man who espoused and advocated a solidly
inclusive revolutionary ideology
for the liberation struggle, and exuded self
respect, confidence,
forbearance, boldness and courage, all the qualities
which are symbolic of a
great man'. An other of his close colleagues and
veteran Kashmiri leader of
the struggle Mr Khaliq Ansari said of him that he
is an 'exalted son of the
soil and pride of Kashmiri people, and his
martyrdom has energised the
nation after four centuries of subjugation, to
openly confront an Indian army
of six hundred thousands like
lions'.
Maqbool Butt was a man of action, a man of deeds and not just a man
of words.
What this meant in the context of Kashmiris' quest for freedom, was
that he
practiced what he preached. This in reality was a marked departure
from the
rather subdued, subservient nature, and approach of articulating the
national
political attitude which had been a pre occupation of the
traditional
leadership in Kashmir, especially since 1947. A general worldview
of the
traditional leadership on both sides of the divided line in Kashmir
had been
based on the belief that a Muhammad Bin Qasim would come and deliver
them
from political servitude. Maqbool Butt rejected this approach and
infact
broke this mould and self delusion which this national attitude had
come to
represent and foster. Even within the Plebiscite Front, his own
organisation
committed to the objective and ideology of an independent and
sovereign
status for Kashmir, opposed his methods of direct action and
ideology and
philosophy of taking the fight to the enemies of Kashmiri
independence, in
other words armed resistance. setting up of the National
Liberation Front
NLF, the forerunner of the JKLF in 1965, and the stiff
opposition which he
and Mr Amanullah Khan encountered from their parent body,
the Plebiscite
Front reflected this general attitude to some extent. This was
so despite
that fact that the PF leaders were otherwise highly committed
contemporary
intellectual revolutionaries, who simply failed to see the
practical
visionary in Maqbool Butt, Mr Amanullah Khan and indeed a few of
their
comrades such as Mir Abdul Qayyum, Mir Mannan, Major Amanullah and one
or two
others.
Whatever machinations and conspiracies against the freedom
struggle in
Kashmir, Maqbool Butt's legacy is synonymous with freedom and
remains a
poignant and potent reminder that the flame of freedom in Kashmir
can never
be extinguished by use of brute force, and indeed by denial to
Kashmiris
their inherent and inalienable right to exercise the unfettered
expression of
self determination. Maqbool Butt was uncompromising on
centrality, finality
and unconditional basis of Kashmiris' right over the
future status of Jammu
Kashmir.
Central to this position is the ideology
of Kashmir's independence and
reunification; and those who are steadfast in
the advocacy of this ideology,
are indeed continuing Maqbool Butt's legacy.
There are no half measures on
this principle. Restoring to his nation
sovereignty, national identity and
dignity, which free nations enjoy and take
for granted every where else, was
the only mission of Maqbool Butt's life. He
lived and died for the
achievement of this national goal and has stamped an
indelible mark on the
shape and contours of Kashmiri politics of liberation
struggle. This is one
major reason why even his detractors are forced to
claim him as their own.
While there is an implausible level of expediency and
hypocrisy within power
politicians, and Kashmiri politicians are no
exception, they nevertheless are
sensitive to political realities. This may
well explain their favourable
attitude to Maqbool Butt today. They may want
to subvert his message in
reality but are mindful of Maqbool Butt's
popularity within the masses.
In an age when freedom has become a by word in
the world with nations and
peoples of all geographical, political, economic
sizes and shapes asserting
their right to sovereignty, it appears
inconceivable that Kashmiris remain
denied of what is so easily and routinely
available elsewhere! It is in
keeping with the contemporary political
philosophy and the sentiments and
aspirations rekindled in the masses by
Maqbool Butt, and the many sacrifices
which have been offered by them, not
only over the past twelve years but
during the last half century, that
equality, justice and democracy should not
merely remain a rhetoric and
cliché, but instead become a reality for people
in Jammu Kashmir today.
Freedom and reunification of 13 million people of
divided Kashmir will bring
all kinds of economic, social and cultural
advantages in Kashmir. This
process will be of immense benefit also to
Kashmir's neighbours India and
Pakistan! Their people will become free from
the corrosive and devastating
financial and economic burden of maintaining
huge military presence in the
territory. Not only is this Indo- Pakistan
military presence hostile to each
other, it is also not consistent with the
aspirations of Kashmiri people;
indeed it is detrimental to their future well
being. For it is not in the
interest of any people or nation to be bone
of contention between two
powerful countries, as indeed Kashmir and its
people are sandwiched between
India and Pakistan.
Now that both India and Pakistan are nuclear powers, the
international
community has a great responsibility in ensuring that
everything which helps
towards a just solution of the issue and brings peace
and prosperity to the
region is harnessed and brought into the equation This
has to be under take
without fear of Indian intransigence and indifference to
third party
mediation. Nevertheless in keeping with the sacrifice and the
ideology of
shaheed-e- Kashmir, Kashmiris cannot and will not compromise on
their
inherent and inalienable right and in the demand demanding and struggle
for a
sovereign and independent Kashmir.
Realisation of Maqbool Butt's
goal will be the most deserving and fitting
tribute to the martyr of the
nation. May he on the sixteenth anniversary of
his shahadat continue to
inspire the nation in fulfilling his dream of
freedom and national dignity.
Ameen.
Zafar Khan
JKLF, UK. 10th Feb. 2000