The grand n’ striking day of Kashmiris’ matchless valour resets again with a dynamic tenacity to rupture the despotic fetters of the Indian tyranny-in the same style-they kicked off a crusade against the wild n’ wicked Dogra regime.
It was July-the 13th in 1931, the take-off point by the chivalrous sons of the charismatic n’ fabulous Himalayan State to bring a malevolent regime of the ferocious Hari Singh to a lasting end.
Ever since the inking of the 10-point nasty Amritsar Treaty on March 16 in 1846 [17 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1262]-inked between the British rulers of the Indo-Pakistan sub-continent and their spiteful sycophant, Gulab Singh, literally a Pandora’s Box was set off for the people-explicitly-the pre-dominant Muslim populous of the state, phrased as Paradise on Earth, yet turned into a terrain of horror.
Gulab Singh-an average specie-and a turncoat of his own credo, in fact fully exploited the fall of Sikhs, marked by the economic collapse at the hands of the British masters n’ was eventually ‘crowned’ as a top slayer ruler of the Jammu n’ Kashmir State with a petite total-sum of just 75 lakh rupees [7.5 million]-Sikka Nanak Shahi, an icon of the circulating currency-far slighter than the worth of an actual rupee.
The hideous deal also set aside a proviso that the elfin amount-the cost of a dazzling realm with its populous-shall be paid by the nasty Singh in installments, in whatever fashion he [Gulab Singh] deem apposite. He was given a receipt of the minuscule rate of ‘buy’ by the East India Company on March 29 in 1850-despite the act the ‘callous punter’ botched even the ‘fixed sum’.
The felon toady acknowledged the ‘gift’ with the words: ‘The British Empire has literally bought me, as their permanent shoe-licking slave till time without end.’
A sharp n’ spontaneous reaction erupted in the state-like swelling volcanic emission. Yet it was mashed with full clout-but the inmost emotions of the bravura Kashmiris engorged with the advent of every dawn.
The year 1931 surfaced with a perilous course for Gulab Singh’s heirs, who had made peoples’ life wretched. Not only that the masses-irrespective of gender-were subjected to shameful atrocities [intricate to be narrated in words] they were-simultaneously-shackled in multiple levies like taxes on cooking stoves, windows, in-door gates, and even on wives.
The notorious schema behind this sadistic mindset was to mash the folks’ monetary flipside so that no one could even lift eye-brows on the magnitude of the reign of terror-a typical vile emblem of the so-called civilized west, like the British n’ their lackeys.
Going by the index of the history, the factuality that comes in light is that July the 13th 1931 was the virtual podium of the current struggle of Kashmiris, which was set off as a ‘decisive step’ to make the Indian invaders evaporate in a jiffy-as they had stepped onto the sanctified soil of Jammu n’ Kashmir against the aspirations of the de facto dwellers of the State.
The take-off of the freedom movement was an upshot with frequent episodes. April 29, 1931 was Eid-ul-Azha. A hefty crowd of the faithful assembled at the Municipal Bagh of Jammu to offer prayers. The Imam, Mufti Muhammad Ishaq was delivering sermon with backdrop of the Islam history.
A Hindu Police Inspector, Khem Chand-instantly interrupted with an ‘order’ to stop at-once. This nefarious act of the police-man prompted a spirited retort all-over with a unanimous call that Khem Chand should be tried n’ taken to task. Yet the Dogra ruler, Hari Singh did not pay any heed to the demand-made with one voice-and instead caged a number of Muslims.
A gory incident followed in Samba, where Muslims-in majority-were prevented to fetch drinking water from a pool with an eventual sectarian skirmish. On June 4, Fazal Dad, an aficionado was attacked by yet another policeman, Lambu Ram, who seized the sacred ‘Panj Sura’, which was being recited by the Faithful. It evoked a endemic anger among Muslims-to the extent of a complete strike all-around.
Another assemblage took place at Khanqa-e-Mu’allah in Srinagar on June 25 to express indignation over frequent ugly acts of the vindictive Dogra regime. Over sixty thousand of the then wee population-with Muslims in majority to the size of almost 85 percent of the total-attended the moot, which was presided over by the religious scholar, Mir Waiz Maulana Yousaf Shah with speakers who included the founder of Muslim Conference, Choudhury Ghulam Abbas, Sardar Gohar Rehman, Sheikh Abdul Hamid, Khawaja Ghulam Nabi Gilkar, Khawaja Ghulam Nabi Eshai, Agha Hussain Shah Jalali, Maulvi Abdur Rahim and Mufti Jalluddin with many other stalwarts.
In a spur of moment, a young man-to whom some historian call as an alien-named Mujahid Abdul Qadeer come into view with an zealous call to the addressees ‘Its’ time to act. We can-in no way-accept the monstrous acts of the Dogra regime-specifically towards our sacrosanct religion and the Holy Quran.
Step up and put such horrendous acts of the cold-blooded foe to a lasting end.’ The feisty n’ candid speech of the young man-who so ever he was-received an awe-inspiring response from every-one, setting in motion the an insightful rivulet to scrap a brutal rule.
Mujahid Qadeer was put into cage after his capture from a house-boat, the same evening. Since it was the first political case in the history of the state, people from all segments of society made sure their presence on the day-hearing against Qadeer took place in the court of the district judge, Krishan Lal Kichlu.
Each one of them have had unparallel adore for the young man who had echoed the sentiments of the people-in a crystal clear way. This scenario jolted the Dogra regime, which shifted the hearing of the case from the court to the Central Jail in Srinagar-perceptibly to avert the people’s presence.
It proved as a last nail in coffin of the Dogras, as the anti-government demonstrations swelled at a swift pace. An imposing public meeting at Gao Kadal-on July 12, 1931-censured the decision of Qadeer’s trial in Jail with a call for open hearing.
Then came the key day-July 13th when an outsized crowd amassed outside the Jail-the pedestal of trial against Qadeer, in solitary confinement. The gorgeous n’ elegant landscape of Srinagar, surrounded by miraculous peaks echoed with slogans of Allah-o-Akbar, Islam Zindabad, Abdul Qadeer Zindabad. When persuaded by the authorities to leave the site, the demonstrators-calling for an open trial-said with a gracious tone that they would do so-after offering prayers.
The pitiless armed men, led by Hindu governor, paid no heed to this vindicated vow and instead opened ruthless fire on the defenceless souls-taking instantaneously 22 valued n’ loved lives-including a lady. Their sprits, trekked to Heavens, inking the preamble of the history of struggle for freedom n’ paving vistas for unbolting the ‘epoch of horror n’ revulsion’-initiated by the notorious Amritsar Treaty.
The gallant Kashmiri leader, Choudhury Ghulam Abbas- who is in fact the harbinger of the present crusade by Kashmiris against India’s illegal, illegitimate, illicit, unlawful, immoral, inexcusable, reckless and criminal foray on the fragrant soil of the fascinating n’ charismatic State, writes in his memoirs: ‘If this day [July 13] would not have been a branch of the Calendar, the heroic history of the state-being written since 1931 n’ would persist [till the liberation of the domain, now from the Indian yoke]-would have been entirely different.’
Meaning thereby that July the 13th is not only a unique milestone, manifesting the rock-hard fortitude of Kashmiris to seek their right of self-determination at all costs but also a cursor for India to quit the grabbed part of Jammu n’ Kashmir at-once, else its’ malevolent ‘conquest’ would be made fade away-with still more optimal might, may it be a supreme sacrifice of any scale, size or enormity.
The New Delhi warlords must try to admit and identify the pragmatic significance of the then [1931] British Prime Minister of the State, Weckfield who after having a look on the dazzling faces of the martyrs was induced to remark: ‘I feel stunned over the audacity n’ gallantry of even the juvenile n’ adolescents [who embraced martyrdom] as each one of them has received bullets on their chests-and none on the back.
I am obliged to salute these unique souls for their courage n’ boldness.’ Isn’t an ample evidence of Kashmiris’ fabulous resolve to smash your manacles, Mr Vajpayee n’ Advani?
The author is a noted journalist, political analyst and ex-Director News Pakistan TV. He is a regular contributor to Media Monitors Network (MMN).
