MAQBOOL BHAT FOUNDATION REQUEST TO ALL OF SHEHEED MAQBOOL BHATS FOLLOWERS THAT ON 1ST OF FEB. ALL CHANGES YOUR FACE BOOK PROFILE PIC.AND MAKE HIS PHOTO.ON YOUR FB PROFILE PIC.
It was one of those chilly evenings of winter of 1984 and I as usual was trying to gather news reports for next day’s issue of AINA which I was associated with, then. The budget session of the state assembly was on in winter capital Jammu and I would call Kashmir Times off
ices in Jammu to have the latest news about the day’s developments in the assembly. We, at AINA and Kashmir Times, had an understanding for exchanging the news. Kashmir Times had no one in Srinagar to look after the news and so was the case with AINA, without any correspondent in Jammu. Ved Bhasin, happened to be like part of our family, being one of the closet friends of late Shamim Ahmad Shamim and so the two papers decided to share the information on daily basis.
On that evening, if I remember correctly, it was February, 6, that I called Kashmir Times office, and my uncle, and a senior journalist, Mohammad Syed Malik, who was working then for Delhi based English daily Patriot and used to move to Jammu with annual durbar, picked up the phone. After briefing him about Srinagar items, I inquired from him the day’s developments in the assembly. “Zafar Ji, there is a big news, but you have to keep it as a secret till morning, when the paper comes out.......Maqbool Butt is being hanged on February, 11..... and this is our exclusive story. No one else (from amongst journalists) has any clue of this”, he told me in a hushed tone, as if none else could hear him.
Srinagar, Feb 9: Paying rich tributes to Shaheed Muhammad Maqbool Bhat on his martyrdom anniversary being observed on February 11, the United Jehad Council chairman Syed Salahudin described him a ‘great martyr of the Kashmir freedom struggle.’
To: The President of India, The Prime minister of India, The Chief Justice, Supreme Court of India, The Chief Minister of Jammu Kashmir, Srinagar
Copy to: The President of Azad Jammu Kashmir, UN Secretary General,
PETITION:
We, the People and the Civil Society of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, express our anguish and concern over the denial of rights of people ofJammu Kashmir to obtain the possession of the remains of their fellow subject of the state , Maqbool Butt to be burry according to their own cultural and religious tradition.
Maqbool Butt was killed by hanging on Feb.11, 1984 in Tihar, Delhi as the consequence of retaliation expressed by that time Indian Regime. He was hanged to take the revenge of the killing of an Indian Diplomat by some unknown organization claiming to be Kashmiri. An act of shame for a country called India. Even after His Death, his body was not handed over to his family and people, rather buried in Tihar Jail, Delhi. People and civil society of Jammu Kashmir do respect him for his legendary struggle for the restoration of freedom in Kashmir. He is now a hero of our nation. To pay tribute to Maqbool Butt, People of Srinagar have already built and reserve a grave for him in Martyrs Grave Yard of Eidgah, Srinagar. However, his formal burial is still awaited. We Demand: * Government of India to behave and understand the feelings of the people and civil society of Jammu Kashmir about Maqbool Butt. * Government of India to Hand over remains of Shaheed e Kashmir for proper burial. * Secretary General of United Nation to use his influence to convince govt. of India for release of remains of Maqbool Butt. * President of Azad Kashmir and Chief Minister of Jammu Kashmir to take an appropriate measures to obtain the remains of Shaheed e Kashmir. Sincerely,
Maqbool Butt Foundation www.maqboolbutt.com Sign petition
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