For Civic Polls in Kashmir,BJP Fields Pakistan-trained Militant Who Learnt Reading From Masood Azhar
Srinagar, Oct 05: In the restive Jammu and Kashmir, BJP is all set to field a former Pakistan-trained militant who has spent seven years in jail after the state was hit by widespread insurgency in the aftermath of the controversial 1987 elections when he crossed over to the neighbouring country.
Mohammad Farooq Khan, a reformed militant, is one of the hundreds who’ll be contesting the upcoming urban body elections, but his profile is one of the few that stands out.
Born in 1970 in Barbarshah area of downtown Srinagar, the son of a cloth merchant studied at a local school and then went to the city’s famous Sri Pratap College.
He was still in college when the decisive 1987 elections were alleged to be rigged at a large scale and triggered insurgency.
“I had made some new friends in college who were active in politics and joined them. I was one of the polling agents of Syed Salahuddin,” Khan tells News18, sitting on the lawns of BJP’s Srinagar office.
Syed Salahuddin, whose actual name is Mohammed Yusuf Shah, was contesting assembly elections from Amira Kadal constituency in Srinagar in 1987 as a candidate of the Muslim United Front (MUF).
Shah and his party lost the elections amid allegations of mass rigging. Militancy erupted in Kashmir and Shah crossed over to Pakistan. He is said to be heading Hizbul Mujahideen ever since. Salahuddin has been designated a 'global terrorist' by the United States.
Hundreds of youths started crossing the Line of Control to train in arms usage and Khan was one of them.
“In 1989, I crossed the LoC and got training in Mianwali and other places for over two months,” says Khan.
He became a militant and was associated with Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), which was a militant organization at the time. Khan became active in Srinagar.
The BJP leader narrates that back in the days, militancy was the “norm” and his parents were also “supportive” of his choices.
On September 7, 1991, forces cordoned off Munawarabad area of the city and Khan was trapped and arrested.
“I was subjected to torture at different interrogation centers of Kashmir for over a year.” He breaks down while remembering the notorious torture centres — Papa 2, Papa 1 and Hotel 4.
“Over the next three years, I did not know if I was a man or a woman. My private parts were subjected to electric shocks,” Khan recalls and wipes his tears. “I don’t want to go through that pain all over again.”
He was later put in Jammu’s Kotbalwal Jail and Delhi’s Tihar Jail over a period of seven years. But he says these jails changed him as a person.
“In jail, I met top militant commanders, including Masood Azhar, Sajjad Afghani and Nasrullah Langriyal — top Pakistani militant commanders who were arrested in Kashmir during the 90s and they taught me how to read,” Khan says.
He further recalls how he was once beaten up by Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar for not finishing his reading assignment. Azhar is said to be the mastermind of the deadly 2016 Pathankot air base attack.
“During my jail term, I read more than two hundred books, mostly Islamic literature. It was an overwhelming experience and it opened my mind towards global politics.”
In January 1996, Khan was released from jail. He was jobless and confused.
“I met Hurriyat leaders but no one helped,” he says.
To make ends meet, he worked as a welder with an ironsmith, sold ice creams and also tried his hand at painting buildings.
“I used to earn Rs 3000 a month as a welder.”
Later, a friend who is also a former militant, helped him and bought him an iron welding machine, a drill and a grinder, which helped Khan become a full-time ironsmith.
In 2002, Khan got married to a woman in the neighbourhood. “She was moved by my painful past and agreed to marry me.”
Khan says he was appalled by the “pathetic” condition of the former militants who were trying to get back into the mainstream.
“I had begun meeting top police officials of the state and then Inspector General SM Sahai, who gave me the idea of an NGO to fight for the rights of ex-militants,” Khan told News18.
This gave birth to his NGO, ‘J&K Human Welfare Association’.
He has also held a number of protests and hunger strikes while demanding rights for ex-militants. “My main demand was that we should be issued passports and the police should stop harassing us,” he says.
This is when he met top BJP leaders. In 2013, he claims he gifted Rajnath Singh a Quran and told him to read the message of peace in it.
During this time, Khan was making contacts in the BJP ranks and other parties.
When the urban and local body elections were announced this year, amid tensions in the Valley, Khan got a call from Delhi.
“I had not joined BJP but a friend of mine in Delhi suggested that I contest the elections on a BJP ticket.”
According to Khan, there is nothing wrong in fighting elections. He credits late cleric Molvi Farooq for introducing BJP in Kashmir.
“It was Molvi Farooq who supported Abdul Rasheed Kabli, a Janta Dal candidate and helped him win the elections in 1977. He brought Hindutva in the state,” he says.
Khan, however, avoids commenting on the issues of Article 370 and 35-A, saying these are “matters meant for bigger leaders”.
Khan says he will be labeled a ‘mukhbir’ (informer) and ‘kafir’ (infidel) for surviving the system.
“If you die here, hundreds and thousands of people will hail you and attend your funeral, but if you survive, you are ‘kafir’.”
His concern, Khan says, is to work for the development of the people, which he believes is the only good that one can do for the society.
“I am working for the welfare and development of the people and participating in the elections is my right.”
Khan feels, the root of the problem in Kashmir is the “rigging” of the 1987 elections.
“Had there been no rigging, there would have been no Syed Salahuddin and no militancy in Kashmir.”
Kashmir’s conflict also claimed the life of his younger brother, who was also a militant in the 90s.
But Khan is now optimistic about his win and believes that his win can usher the Valley into a new and peaceful Kashmir.
Courtesy: www.news18.com
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KSCA expresses disappointment over missing IPL playoffs, says it was ready to host matches in B’luru
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has issued a clarification stating that it was fully prepared to host the IPL playoffs and final matches in Bengaluru but the fixtures were allotted to other venues.
In a media note, KSCA said it was disappointed with the decision. The association stated that its president, former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, had been in touch with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and had formally conveyed the association’s readiness and interest in hosting the matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
KSCA said the IPL matches held in Bengaluru this season were appreciated for smooth conduct, crowd management and overall experience for spectators. It said this reflected its ability to handle high-profile matches.
The association also stated that it had sent a detailed communication to the BCCI explaining its preparedness and the operational arrangements followed during the current IPL season. According to KSCA, these systems have been in place since the start of the Indian Premier League in 2008 and were followed consistently, including during previous playoff matches hosted in Bengaluru.
The clarification added that the communication sent to the BCCI was only meant to provide factual and operational details and to bring clarity on logistical and stakeholder-related requirements involved in hosting such matches.
KSCA said that although it had shown willingness and preparedness, the BCCI has decided to allocate the playoff matches to other venues. It added that the reasons for this decision have not been formally shared with the association, but it respects the authority of the board in taking such decisions.
The association further said it remains ready to host matches of national and international importance and will continue to cooperate with the BCCI, franchises, government authorities and other stakeholders for conducting cricket events.
The statement was issued by KSCA official spokesperson Vinay Mruthyunjaya, who also thanked the media and cricket fans for their continued support.
