Who can forget the martyrdom of veteran Kashmiri ideologue Syed Ali Shah Geelani who breathed his last during prolonged house arrest on 1 September 2021?
It is the day when the dead body of a 92-year-old Kashmiri freedom fighter defeated the Indian occupational regime. In the dark hours of the night, occupational Indian security forces forcibly snatched away the dead body of Syed Ali Geelani from his kins. Syed Ali Geelani wished in his will for burial in the graveyard of martyrs. His will was denied! A curfew was imposed immediately after the death of Syed Ali Geelani to hinder the mass assemblies all across the occupied Kashmir.
Though India snatched away the body of Syed Ali Geelani to avert the public funeral it failed to capture the freedom spirit draped in the Pakistani flag. Tens of thousands of Kashmiris, who always worshipped him as a symbol of resistance, were not allowed to honour the legend in funeral prayers.
The most popular iconic leader of occupied Kashmir was forcibly buried unceremoniously by Indian forces. It was not the end of the unwise acts on the part of the occupational Indian regime! Later on, treason cases were filed against the family members of Syed Ali Geelani for draping the dead body in the flag of Pakistan and raising the pro-freedom slogans.
Indian foreign minister’s arrogant stance about the possibility of engagement in dialogue with Pakistan is a clear reflection of the aggressive mindset prevailing in New Delhi
Why Indian state not afford a burial as per the wish of Ali Geelani’s family members? Anyone can find the answer to this simple question just by having a glance at the history of the Kashmiri freedom struggle. Pertinent answers may also be explored easily from the unprecedented marvellous struggle of Syed Ali Geelani.
Undoubtedly, the freedom movement of Kashmir got a real spark from the exemplary conduct of Syed Ali Geelani. His one call was enough to put Kashmir on strike in protest against Indian brutalities. He never minced his words while expressing affection with Pakistan and the two-nation theory.
New Delhi never felt comfortable from Syed Ali Geelani’s side and even a long time back while being a parliamentarian his fiery but argumentative speeches kept jolting the Indian state’s fortress built based on violence, fear and blatant lies. He was one of those Kashmiri leaders who could not be trapped or lured in by the occupational regime. Imprisonment was the only option left with the unwise decision-makers of New Delhi to break the will of Syed Ali Geelani.
Though, Syed Ali Geelani spent many years in imprisonment his voice and vision kept penetrating the hearts of oppressed Kashmiris. While many so-called Kashmiri leaders enjoyed the perks of the power corridor by aligning themselves with treacherous narratives of New Delhi, it was Syed Ali Geelani who created an impact on the masses by challenging India as an occupational regime.
Public response to his remarkable oratory was worth watching especially whenever he referred ideological roots of the Kashmiri freedom movement with the creation of Pakistan. Repeated declaration of Kashmir’s affection with Pakistan and Islam gradually made Syed Ali Geelani an undesired element for the Indian occupational state. His speeches and heart-touching slogans became enormous challenges and effective counter-narratives against the Indian baseless rhetoric of declaring Kashmir as its integral part.
New Delhi felt the shock waves, whenever, Syed Ali Geelani demanded a legitimate right to self-determination for Kashmir. Dual-faced hypocrite leaders always felt threatened while confronting Syed Ali Geellani’s uncompromising ideological stance. It was very easy for Syed Ali Geelani to extract countless facilities and perks merely by slightly twisting his stance on the freedom struggle.
He chose the toughest path of resistance primarily to keep the flames of freedom alive and kept striking at the occupational regime with his unshakable resilience. Kashmiris all across the globe respected his commitment to the cause. His words were always distinguished from the rest of the spiritless verbosity made by artificial non-committed leaders.
There can be no second opinion on this aspect that Syed Ali Geelani was the strongest voice for Kashmir’s freedom in this era. His prolonged imprisonment and unprecedented forced burial have been registered in the pages of history as the worst exposure to Indian brutal occupational methods. Syed Ali Geelani’s call for freedom is echoing in the mountains of Kashmir.
War crimes and persistent human rights violations committed blatantly by occupational forces in IIOJK pose multi-dimensional challenges to fragile regional security. Indian foreign minister’s arrogant stance about the possibility of engagement in dialogue with Pakistan is a clear reflection of aggressive mindset prevailing in New Delhi. Third anniversary of Syed Ali Shah Geelani is a relevant reminder that IIOJK wants freedom from the Hindu Rashter of Modi masked as the biggest democracy of the world.
The writer is a graduate of QAU, PhD scholar and a freelance writer and can be reached at [email protected]