Roshni Ka Shaheed e Awwal (First Martyr for the Light) Father of Kashmiri Nation Shaheed Mohammad Maqbool Bhat From Birth To Gallows
Compiled by Mohammad Hussain Altaf
Publisher= Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, Maqbool Manzil, Srinagar Kashmir.
Year of Publication= Not Mentioned
Price= Rs 120
Kashmiris have been fighting for their basic rights for many centuries now, and during all these centuries of struggle countless people have dedicated and sacrificed their lives for keeping the resistance aflame but most of these resistance forces have died as unsung heroes and their sacrifices for the cause are still in oblivion. The writers, intellectuals(if any) and historians of Kashmir are the culprits of this gross negligence as they have not done justice to their profession by documenting nothing about these great sons of soil. Even in the contemporary times none has tried to research, locate and document about their lives and work. Even the big stalwarts among them like Mohammad Maqbool Bhat who was hanged in Tihar Jail on 11 February, 1984 is a victim of this apathy as nothing substantial is available on his life, thought, ideology and political activities.
Mohammad Hussain Altaf, a Political Activist of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) rather than any historian or political analyst has tried to fill this void by compiling the letters, press statements, interviews, writings, press conferences and speeches of Mohammad Maqbool Bhat in a book titled Roshni Ka Shaheed e Awwal, before him another political activist and leader of JKLF(R) Tahir Mir penned down a small booklet on the life of Maqbool Bhat entitled as Maqbool Bhat Trehgam Sey Tihar Tak (Maqbool Bhat from Trehgam to Tihar), but that wasn’t so comprehensive as the present book under review is. Mohammad Hussain Altaf in his Preface to the collection writes that “The reality and facts about the lives and works of the genuine leaders and torch bearers of any nation are either distorted or hidden. This job is undertaken so that the nation would be kept away from its struggle and goal and to keep its people in perpetual sense of inferiority complex”.
The book at first documents the biographical sketch of Maqbool Bhat from his birth to gallows, his political activities as a student, his migration to Azad Kashmir, his student days at Peshawar University, his journalistic stint, his return to valley and setting clandestine and underground cells for subversive activities, his arrest, sentencing to death in the court of Neel Kanth Ganjoo, his adventurous escape from Srinagar Central jail which is described in detail by his own writing, which is filled with adventure, threat of re-arrest, surviving in hostile conditions and infiltrating back to Azad Kashmir and his re-arrest there on charges of being a spy and his brutal torture in Muzzfarabad, his release and his joining politics again, return back to valley, his arrest, haste trail and subsequent hanging all are depicted lucidly.
About his escape Maqbool Bhat enthusiastically pens down how on every step he and his friends were helped by the common people, when they came to know that their anonymous guests were the freedom fighters on run and they helped them by providing shelter, food and guiding them to escape routes, hence this attitude of the common people clearly depicted how much longing and enthusiastic Kashmiris were for Aazadi. Bhat was among the pioneers of armed struggle in Kashmir as he believed that only negotiations at the political table weren’t enough for the freedom to be delivered but the occupation forces must be confused and tired through the armed struggle, but unlike others he was for self sustainability and indigenous character of the struggle, whose command, orders and outcome all must be in the hands of Kashmiris. He wanted his own people to resist instead of taking cue on others to help them.
For the cause of Kashmir’s Freedom Maqbool Bhat endured every calamity, deception by comrades, economic hardship and social apathy with a smiling face and bold conviction and never expressed any such hardship or obstacle which could become a source of repulsion for the cadres of resistance. Maqbool Bhat never complained about the hardships that he went in torture centers and then in jails, both in Azad Kashmir and India. Maqbool alongwith his comrades were incarcerated in the infamous Shahi Fort, Lahore and the brutal torture they all suffered at the hands of Pakistan army is documented by G.M Lone in his book, Aatish e Chinar, but Maqbool never spoke about it as can be witnessed from his interviews, speeches and letters and whenever any such topic was raised Bhat would sideline the same and take the conversation in some other direction.
His letters twenty nine in number provide a real glimpse into the life of this great son of the soil who took a stand to defend his principles till death. In his letter to Azra Mir daughter of G.M Mir, Bhat writes about the tussle between the oppressors and oppressed, “The children of oppressors see the oppression around them but remain indifferent, whereas the children of Mujahids (freedom fighters) do not tolerate oppression. They feel the pain and wish to fight against oppression. The children of oppressors are provided with all the luxuries and comfort of the world, they have plenty to eat, wear expensive clothes and live in luxury houses but the children of Mujahids are not attracted to these kinds of luxuries and comfort. The get satisfaction in struggling against the system of oppression. That gratification and satisfaction cannot be experienced with worldly wealth, expensive clothes or luxurious houses. That is why Mujahideen children prefer a day of freedom to a life of luxuries without any freedom”.
Similarly writing to Ikraam Ullah Jaswaal, a Plebiscite Front activist Bhat describes his efforts as those of history making as “The goal of history making requires a different approach. For history is made by the kind of people who direct their theories and practices towards a fresh approach. They challenge and rebel against the established official people and values. Here are some examples of this breed of people. Did Socrates not have to drink poison? Did the messenger of Allah (Ibrahim) in his time jump into the fire of Nimrod? Did Jesus Christ not have to kiss the gallows (the cross), which was erected by the rulers of the time? Did our Prophet (pbuh) show signs of desperation and anxiety when he was tortured and stoned in the markets of Taief? Did Gautam Buddha ever compromise with Brahmanic exploitations? Take a look at the rights movement of Martin Luther King, the ideologies of Marx and Engels and the rise of anti-colonial movements for National liberation. Did any of these people compromise with the established values in their times? There are several examples in history which suggest that those who laid foundations for the (revolutionary) movements did not physically survive beyond the initial stage of maturity of their ideas, but that does not under estimate their role in the success of struggles in the light of their ideas. As for their historical role they remain the founding fathers of such struggles”.
Maqbool Bhat was hanged in haste and as an act of revenge against the murder of Indian diplomat Ravinder Mhartre in Britain by an unknown group known as Kashmir Liberation Army, who demanded release of Maqbool Bhat besides others in exchange to Mhartre but ultimately killed him on 5 February, 1984 and Bhat reacted “I am being hanged immediately after Mhatre’s murder as a result of politics of revenge. I have no knowledge of this murder which has been carried out at Birmingham, a place thousand miles away from my prison cell”. The book doesn’t depict the last days of Bhat which have been documented by another disciple and comrade of Bhat, Muhammad Azam Inqulabi in his book Payaam e Hurriyat in which he describes his meeting with a prisoner Rashid in 1984 when he was incarcerated in Srinagar central jail, who used to sweep the cells and he used to sweep Bhat’s cell daily at Tihar Jail and he described that during his last three days Bhat used to recite Quran and weep bitterly and when Rashid questioned him whether he was afraid of death, Bhat answered “Son, the concern is different, I am not afraid of death, but I think that I couldn’t do something great for the liberation(Azadi) of my nation”.
Overall the complier deserves our appreciation, kudos and encouragement for bringing to fore the life and works of Bhat and he should also be an inspiration for all those fat salaried academics and writers who still couldn’t pen anything substantial on Kashmir and Freedom fighters. Altaf through his compilation has shown that despite hectic schedule and little expertise for research and writing the motivation and inspiration for doing something substantial can make one overcome all these impediments. The book is a must read for anyone who wants to know about one of icons of freedom struggle who in his life was decried as double agent but now is accepted and hailed by all as the Martyr for Freedom. The price of the book is cheap which makes it affordable to all and its jacket makes it attractive and printing is also to a large extent mistake free.
Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist and presently student of Masters Program of Political Science at Kashmir University and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com
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