This mother ‘gave 4 sons to Kashmir cause’
It was not easy for Shahmali Begum (85), the mother of Maqbool Bhat, to become the ‘cradle of resistance’ as she had to sacrifice four sons and bear immense hardships during the past several decades.Miseries started for her when MaqboolBhat was arrested.
HabibullahBhat, Maqbool’s younger brother who was also linked to ‘Kashmir cause was subjected to enforced disappearance in 1976 when he was a 12th class student.’ That time Maqbool Bhat was in jail.
Maqbool’s another brother GhulamNabiBhat was ‘found dead’ on November 18, 1994, in Chanapora Srinagar. He had head injuries on his body and his death was termed by authorities as an accident.
Another son of the family, Manzoor, a divisional commander of JKLF, was killed in an
encounter on October 4,1995, at Trehgam.
Shahmali Begum told KIF on Wednesday that the mission of Muhammad Maqbool Bhat would be taken to its logical conclusion.
Ailing Shahmali Begum said that she is proud that she sacrificed her four sons for Kashmir cause.
“People of Kashmir are continuing their struggle and would continue it till we achieve the goal of complete independence.”
“People of Kashmir have been fighting for the last several decades for independence. Every Kashmiri is contributing towards the struggle and this mission is moving ahead steadily.”
“There is a MaqboolBhat in every house of Kashmir,” said Shahmali.
“No one is letting this struggle down, and I hope no one will.”
ZahoorBhat, the only surviving brother of Maqbool, has been detained six times under PSA.
MaqboolBhat was born in Trehgam area of Kupwara in north Kashmir on Feb 18, 1938. Bhat did his early schooling in Trehgam, later he joined St. Joseph School Baramulla. He studied History and Political Science and later joined a private school in Islamabad (Anantnag).
Later Maqbool crossed LoC and went to study Law followed by Journalism at Peshawar University. Then he joined weekly magazine Anjam as a sub-editor.
Later he joined separatist activities and was hanged and buried in Delhi’s Tihar Jail in 1984.
