By Uzair Ahmed Ghazali
Syed Ali Shah Gillani once said that the Truth always wins, no matter how long the falsehood prevails but it will be defeated at the end.
The voice raised for the rights of Kashmiri people! Shaheed Syed Ali Shah Gillani, the leader of the Kashmiri Resistance Movement, who had been struggling to end Indian occupation in India’s Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) consists for decades.
Gillani was born on September 29, 1929 in the Zurimunj village of Bandipura situated in Baramulla district of IIOJ&K. He got his early education in Sopore and then studied in Oriental College, Lahore (Pakistan). He spent most of his life associated with Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir. In view of some of the inevitable reasons and freedom struggle needs, he laid the foundation of his own party Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir which later on became the leading organization of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC).
Syed Ali Gillani had elected member on ticket of Jamaat-e-Islami platform in the occupied Kashmir Assembly in 1972, 1977 and 1987. Where he boldly, restlessly and courageously raised the issue of Kashmir’s political, fair solution and the rights of the people.
Syed Ali Gillani had also the author of many books containing three the translation of Persian poetry by poet Allama Iqbal and many books, including “Rudad-e-Qafas”, “Qissa-e-Dard”, “Maqtal se Wapsi”, “Rooh-e-Din ka Shanasa”, “Payaam-e-Akhireen”, “Nava-e-Hurriyat”, “Bharat kay Istamari Harbay”, “Eidain”, “Safar-e-Mehmood Zikar-e-Mazloom”,Millat-e-Mazloom”, “Tu Baki Nahi”, “Payam-e-Akhreen”, “Iqbal Apne Paigham ki Roshni mai”, ‘Ek Pehlu Ye Bhi hai Kashmir ki Tasveer Ka”, “Hijrat aur Shahadat”, “Tahreek-e-Hurriyat Kay Teen Ahdaaf”, “Mairaaj Ka Paigham”, “Naujawanan-e-Millat Kay Naam”, “Dastoor-e-Tehreek-e-Hurriyat” and “Vullar Kinaray” were among notables where he wrote about the pain, agony and plight of Kashmiri people under Indian occupation and determination for freedom struggle.
He challenged India’s most brutal occupation with faith and remained determined against all the conspiracies of the Indian rulers. India tried to bow down him and Kashmir leadership to withdraw from the demand for the right to self -determination through all the colonial tactics. But their zeal remained firm and Indian torture cells and prisons failed to break their resistance which remained legitimate according to UN resolutions.
Baba-e-Hurriyat (Syed Ali Gillani) had considered a manifestation of sacrifice, who made special arrangements for the religious and moral training of the Kashmiri people. He rejected all the negative propaganda of the Indian government, which feared the spread of hatred among Kashmiri citizens.
Syed Ali Shah Gillani stood all his life as a pioneer supporter of Pakistan. He spoke for merger with Pakistan on the basis of right self-determination and continued that we are Pakistani on the basis of Islam “Hum Pakistani Hain, Pakistan Humara Hai” is one of the famous slogan given by Syed Ali Gillani. Even he declared Kashmir as the natural part of Pakistan and declared Kashmir as an incomplete agenda of the partition of India.
When Syed Ali Gillani felt the apparent failure of peaceful and political struggle in Kashmir, he openly supported the armed movement and declared it as people of Kashmir are compelled to raise arms against Indian illegal occupation He addressed public gathering on the funerals of the youths who were martyred in jihad against the Indian forces and stood with their family members like a rock.
Due to Syed Ali Shah Gillani’s stance, the youth in the state of Jammu and Kashmir also invented many slogans in support of him in which they set him as their leader who do not bow on any offer other than their freedom.
Gillani had repeatedly claimed that many New Delhi’s representatives contacted him and asked him to bring flexibility on his stance, but he continued to reiterate that solution of Kashmir issue is only according to UN resolutions. He also opted that Pakistani, Kashmiri and Indian leadership then may sort out the issue on a tripartite dialogue.
He has visited almost all areas of IIOJ&K including Poonch, Rajouri, Kathua, Doda, Kishtawar, Riasi, Badhroa, in Jammu and Uri, Karnah, Kupwara, Baramula, Bandipora, Hindwara, Lolab, Sopore, Pattan, Badgam, Tarral, Kulgam, Anantnag, Banyhal, Shopian, Pulwama, Srinagar of Kashmir valley including many other areas to sympathize with the people suffered Indian armed forces atrocities.
Syed Ali Shah Gillani believed that the practical support of any country in the world is not available to the resistance movement, so the public resistance should be made strong to persuade the world about the movement that Jammu and Kashmir is a controversial state that is not ready to accept India’s military occupation which he found through the most effective protests, rallies, strikes, demonstrations to raise their voice at UNSC level and world conscience.
In this struggle, the Kashmiri people took every appeal of Baba-e-Hurriyat, protests, rallies and anti-India protests were carried for months while peaceful demonstrators of these rallies were crushed by the brutal use of force by Indian forces particularly by Tears gas, Batons, Pellet and Bullets.
Syed Ali Gillani’s passport was seized by Indian authorities in 1981 due to anti-India activities in Jammu and Kashmir. He was never allowed to go abroad except Hajj in 2006.
In 2006, he had kidney cancer disease. Doctors suggested their treatment from abroad, then Indian authorities returned Syed Ali Gillani’s passport to his son. As his condition worsened in 2007, doctors suggested surgery, which was only possible in the UK or the United States, but at that time, the US government rejected his visa request.
Syed Ali Gillani had once again detained by the Indian government in 2010. On March 6, 2014, he suffered a severe chest infection. In May 2015, he applied for a passport to meet his daughter in Saudi Arabia, but the fascist Indian government, led by Narendra Modi, did not accepted his request.
He spent many years in various prisons in India for opposition to India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir and demanded freedom. During his house arrest time, he brought spoke at a seminar in Delhi on November 29, 2010 at the invitation of a leading human rights activist Arundhatti Roy, in which he openly voiced by presenting the truth of Kashmir plight to intellectuals, journalists, human rights activists and politicians and consequently he including his other three companions were then booked on charge of treason by the Indian government.
In 2014, when Narendra Modi took power of New Delhi with the dominant majority, the then incumbent government attitude towards Kashmir became the toughest. APHC realized that India only wants to get time through dialogue, so all stakeholders of Kashmir freedom movement including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Yasin Malik and Syed Ali Shah Gillani came on one page against BJP led Indian government conspiracies.
The Modi government declared Gillani’s Hyderpura residence as sub-jail and imposed full sanctions on his free movement, speech that remained imposed till his death
After the martyrdom of the leading armed Kashmiri leader of Hizb -ul -Mujahideen Burhan Muzaffar Wani in 2016, the patriotic movement seized all Kashmiri leaders under the banner of the “Joint Resistance Forum” and the overwhelming majority of the people expressed satisfaction over the unity. Also, strikes and mass demonstrations were held on the appeals of the United Liberation Forum. Under the leadership of this forum, the anti -Indian public protest movement lasted until the summer of 2019. But as soon as Narendra Modi again came into power, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Liberation Front were declared illegal and Yasin Malik, along with hundreds of leaders were jailed.
Since 2018, India has launched the toughest retaliation against supporters and activists, religious leaders, lawyers, businessmen, students, civil society, intellectuals, human rights activists and journalists, including Syed Ali Gillani who remained Chairman of APHC till June 2020. He left this forum due to his deteriorating health and lack of continuous treatment facilities.
The world witnessed that the so-called democracy of India kept locked a 92 years old man who was a patient of many chronic and life-threatening diseases, but he was kept under detention and house arrests until he lived his last breath, hence declared martyred.
Syed Ali Gillani played an unprecedented political role in occupied Kashmir. He has always taught to respect humanity, he raised his voiced for Palestines, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Bosnia, Iraq, Syria and Libya where Muslims suffered brutalities and such human tragedies always kept him worried.
Syed Ali Gillani died when he was under house arrest in his Hyderpura residence on 1st September 2021. Immediately after the news of the death of Syed Ali Gillani,
announcements were made from mosques in Srinagar, in which people were asked to leave their homes to pay tribute to the prominent leader. However, the Indian authorities deployed tens of thousands of Indian troops and paramilitary personnel, suspended internet and mobile phone services,imposed the toughest military siege and communication closure.
When the deceased was wrapped in Pakistani flag and the funeral-goers chanted slogans in favor of independence and in favor of Pakistan, Indian forces raided the residence midnight, tortured his family and forcibly snatched the body.
Syed Ali Gillani’s last wish was to be buried in Eidgah martyrs graveyard and even his own family was not allowed to attend his funeral
Following the forced burial of the Syed Ali Gillani, there were strong clashes between Kashmiri youth and Indian forces personnel in Nawa Bazaar area of ??Srinagar. After Modi-led fascist government did not allow people to attend their beloved leaders’ funeral and clashes with Indian soldiers and police took place to the streets in large number. Analysts said that if India had not forced people to stay indoors at the tip of the gun, it would have been the biggest funeral in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.
Syed Ali Gillani will continue to be seen as a great symbol of resistance in human history. Gillani’s struggle for freedom and public rights will remain beacon for those who are struggling for independence.
During the constant detention of Syed Ali Shah Gillani, his struggle and courage proved to be the height of his constant struggle. “To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return”
