Ashfaq Majeed Wani
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Ashfaq Majeed Wani (5 September 1966 – 30 March 1990) was the first Commander in Chief of the
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) is a militant separatist organization active in both the Indian-administered and Pakistani-administered territories of Kashmir. It was founded by Amanullah Khan, with Maqbool Bhat also credited as a co ...
, a militant Kashmiri-separatist group in
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. He was killed by
Indian Paramilitary Forces India maintains 10 paramilitary forces. List of Paramilitary forces From 1986 to 2011 the Central Armed Police Forces were considered as Central Police Forces (CPF). However, as per their respective acts they all are Armed Police Forces. R ...
in 1990 at the age of 24. He was allegedly involved in the kidnapping of Rubiya Sayed, daughter of
Mufti Mohammed Sayeed A Mufti (; ar, مفتي) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law ('' sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatwas'' played an important ro ...
, the then
Home Minister of India The Minister of Home Affairs (or simply, the Home Minister, short-form HM) is the head of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. One of the senior-most officers in the Union Cabinet, the chief responsibility of the Home Minist ...
.


Biography

Ashfaq Majeed Wani was born on 5 September 1966 in the Sarai Balla area of
Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...
,
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
into a
Kashmiri Muslim Kashmiri Muslims are ethnic Kashmiris who practice Islam and are native to the Kashmir Valley in Indian-administered Kashmir. Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan. It has bo ...
family. He studied at
Tyndale Biscoe School Tyndale Biscoe School is a school in the Sheikh Bagh neighbourhood, in the Lal Chowk area of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The school was founded in 1880 CE and is one of the oldest schools in Jammu and Kashmir, the oldest being S.P s ...
and later went to
Sri Pratap College Sri Pratap College, commonly known as SP College, is an academic and professional college in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The college has been accredited by NAAC with an 'A' Grade. It is the oldest institute of higher education in the ...
and the
University of Kashmir The University of Kashmir (U-K, UoK), informally known as Kashmir University (KU), is a collegiate public state university located on the western side of Dal Lake in the city of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, India which was established in 194 ...
. When he was a teenager, sports were an important part of his life. He was a dedicated soccer player, a marathon runner, and a table tennis player, winning first prize in the interstate marathon tournament in 1985 and being selected to represent the state. "The Iranian revolution had left an indelible mark on him, after studying the literature about it. It had become a motif of resistance to him. Besides, he had become very disillusioned with the political scenario prevailing at the time, which favored the Indian suzerainty. He viewed the accession to India as a yoke of slavery," said his father. His mother recalled "The Principal of the Biscoe School summoned us one day and informed that even though Ashfaq was a brilliant student and an athlete of repute, he possessed leanings quite uncommon in teenagers". At the age of 14, Wani refused to accompany his family members in the funeral procession of
Sheikh Abdullah Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah (5 December 1905 – 8 September 1982) was an Indian politician who played a central role in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir Abdullah was the founding leader of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (later rena ...
, an early sign of what was to form a part of his ideology. Two years later he began organizing anti-India rallies. By 1987, he was already on the radar of Indian intelligence agencies. He was arrested on 23 March 1987 for his involvement with the Muslim United Front, which took part in
elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...
, was imprisoned at the Central Jail, Srinagar. Hundreds of other opposition activists have also arrested in police crackdowns across Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. He was released on parole after nine months, to attend his uncle's wedding. His period in prison had made him bitter and he was found to have cigarette burns all over his body. After his release, Wani worked on the plans towards the procurement of arms from Pakistan-administrated Kashmir. A day before he left for Pakistan-administrated Kashmir while serving meals at the wedding reception, he overheard Mohiuddin Shah, a veteran National Conference politician talking about the futility of agitations against the government. Wani is known to have reprimanded him in these words "the government made two grave mistakes as far as Kashmir is concerned. First, they acceded to India and secondly, they let me on parole." Wani subsequently crossed into Pakistan-Administrated Kashmir to obtain arms training under the supervision of the
Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...
. Many Kashmiris in the valley joined
JKLF The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) is a militant separatist organization active in both the Indian-administered and Pakistani-administered territories of Kashmir. It was founded by Amanullah Khan, with Maqbool Bhat also credited as a ...
and obtained training and financial support in Pakistan and in Pakistan Administrated Kashmir. Most returned to
Indian Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
and the majority of them were killed by the
Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
and
Indian Paramilitary Forces India maintains 10 paramilitary forces. List of Paramilitary forces From 1986 to 2011 the Central Armed Police Forces were considered as Central Police Forces (CPF). However, as per their respective acts they all are Armed Police Forces. R ...
. Growing up in the Sarai Balla lanes of Srinagar city, Wani, was a science student studying at Shri Pratap Higher Secondary School, when he founded Islamic Students League with the help of other like-minded friends. Soon, he rose up in his circle and became area commander of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front in 1988.Often refused to take refuge inside houses he would sleep inside pipes at Idgah on many occasions.


Death

Wani was killed at the age of 23, in an encounter with Indian paramilitary troops and an army unit in the Hawwal area of the old city Srinagar on 30 March 1990.


References


Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wani, Ashfaq Majeed 1966 births 1990 deaths Indian people Kashmiri people Indian Muslims Kashmiri Muslims Kashmiri militants Kashmir separatist movement Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front Politicians from Srinagar People shot dead by law enforcement officers in India