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First Crossing Back to IHK |
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For
the next ten months the group of four recruited more people into the
ranks of NLF including GM Lone (the vice president of PF) and on 10th
June 1966 the first group of NLF members secretly crossed over to the
Indian occupied Kashmir. Maqbool Butt, Aurangzeb, a student from
Gilgit, Amir Ahmed and Kala Khan, a retired subedar (non commissioned
officer from AJK force) went deep into Valley while Major Amanullah and
subedar Habibullah remained near to the division line. The former were
to recruit Kashmiris in the IOK into NLF while the latter were
responsible for training and weapon supply. Maqbool Butt along with
three of his group members worked underground for three months and
established several gorilla cells in IOK.
However,
after about three months the Indian intelligence services found out
about the underground activities and started a big operation to capture
these activists. In an encounter with the soldiers one of the NLF
members Aurganzeb from Gilgit got killed and Kala Khan received
injuries. Eventually Maqbool Butt and two of his comrades, Kala Khan
and Amir Ahmed were arrested. Commenting on this incident later Maqbool
Butt said that this was not a staged operation. “We were still in
organisational phase and were not fully prepared for taking the risk of
clashing with authorities. The risk of clash should only be taken when
you are able to invite the enemy for that. We were arrested and tried.
The government of the occupied Kashmir wanted the case to be dealt in a
military court and finish us off. But the case was heard in civil court
for two years (Khawaja op. cit. p.248). The verdict was given in August
1968. We were three people in total. Two were given death (Maqbool Butt
and Amir Ahmed) and one (Kala Khan) life sentences. Our comrades from
the occupied Kashmir were given from three months to three years.
Nearly three hundred people were arrested including students,
engineers, teachers, contractors, shopkeepers and government employees.
They belonged to all parties including Plebiscite Front, Congress, and
National Conference etc.
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