AZKA TANVEER
In remembrance of the iconic leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, famously known as the “Baba-e-Hurriyat”, the people in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and the world over are observing the first martyrdom anniversary of the nonagenarian leader with the renewal of the pledge that the candle of resistance for freedom that he lit won’t be allowed to extinguish no matter how violent and strong the winds of Indian oppression and the changing geo-political situations come into effect.
If we refer to it as his martyrdom day, it won’t sound unfair as he died while being incarcerated at his home in Srinagar for 11 long years, during which his health continued to deteriorate and eventually led to his death on September 1st last year.
On September 29, 1929, Syed Ali Shah Geelani was born in in Zurmanz village in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district. He graduated from Oriental College in Lahore after completing his primary education in Sopore.
He was a man of vision and conviction and a torch bearer of resistance who dedicated to guide his people through thick and thin. He was elected as a member of the Occupied J&K Assembly in 1972, 1977 and 1987 respectively, where he raised his voice for the political resolution of the Kashmir imbroglio on the basis of the right of self-determination guaranteed by UN resolutions. The Indian government, through all its colonial tactics, tried to bend him and the other Hurriyat leadership and compel them to withdraw their genuine demand for the inalienable right to self-determination but it failed in doing so.
He spent most of his life while being subjected to every form of political vendetta, including imprisonment, restrictions, concocted charges, and media trials by successive Indian governments over the years, but none of these tactics were able to sway this tenacious mountain’s spirit or morale.
He was adamant and unyielding in his opposition to the brutal Indian occupation, but he was also a model of sacrifice and peace, constantly arguing for the full respect and protection of all Kashmiri society’s members, including Sikhs, Hindus, and other minorities, as well as their right to practise their religion freely. Every time Indian authorities attempted to rip apart the social and religious fabric of the occupied territory to use it as a weapon against the freedom movement, he was there with that firewall persona.
Along with his relentless efforts on the political and religious fronts to increase the religio-political understanding of the oppressed people, he also authored at least 22 books to further their intellectual development and political awakening. There are several of them, including Rudad-i-Qafs, Qisa-e-Dard, Sada-e-Dard, Maqtal se Wapsi, Ruh-e-Din-e-ka Shanasa I and II, Payam-e-Akhiri, Nawa-e- Hurriyat, Bharat ke Istemari Harbay, Eidain, Safar-e-Mahmoud Mein Zikr the Payam-e-Aakhrin, Aik Pehlu Ye Bhi Hai Kashmir Ki Tasveer Ka and Iqbal Apnay Paigam Ki Roshni Ma. Some of his well-known works include Hijrat Aor Shahadat, Tehreek-e Hurriyet Ke Teen Ahdaaf, Mairaj Ka Paigam, Nawjawanan-e Millat Ke Naam, Dastoor-e Tehreek-e Hurriyet, and Wulur Ke Kinaray I and II.
Syed Ali Geelani was an undeclared spearhead of the armed resistance movement that started in 1989 when Kashmiris appeared to have failed to accomplish their aim despite participating in Indian politics for 45 years. He described it as a desperate but legitimate response by the Kashmiri youth. In every nook and corner of the seized region, he could be seen sympathising with the families who had lost loved ones to Indian brutality.This exemplified Syed Ali Geelani’s genuine leadership qualities. He spoke with the authority and thorough veracity of a great leader. He was a staunch believer that Kashmiris would ultimately win freedom from Indian bondage.
He was well aware of the sensitivity regarding the Kashmir issue, and he had predicted long before that India, having failed to subdue Kashmiris, would resort to the sinister plan of changing the demographic composition of the territory.
He exhibited the best traits of a real leader by maintaining his principled position despite being subjected to every aspect of political vengeance.
Except for the Hajj in 2006, he was never permitted to leave India after the Indian government seized his passport in 1981. He was given a kidney cancer diagnosis that year, but despite his doctor’s stern advice, he was still prohibited from travelling abroad.
Syed Ali Geelani spent several years in various jails for opposing the illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir by India and demanding freedom, enduring physical and mental torture during his imprisonment. During a brief period of release from custody, he spoke at a seminar in Delhi on November 29, 2010 at the invitation of renowned human rights activist Arundhati Roy, at which he addressed a group of Indian intellectuals, journalists, human rights activists, and politicians. The Indian government subsequently accused him and three other people of treason for outlining the sensitive nature of the K-issue, the harsh reality of Kashmir, and the horrendous crimes against humanity carried out by Indian troops in IIOJK.
He spent most of his life associated with Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu Kashmir. But in view of some unavoidable reasons, he founded his own organisation ‘ Tehreek Hurriyat Jammu Kashmir’.
