ISLAMABAD – I am Kashmiri and for me Burhan Muzaffar Wani is like whatNelson Mandela is for South Africans, Bhagat Singh for Indians and Quaid eAzam Muhammad Ali Jinnah for Pakistanis. He was martyred on 8th July 2016.Tomorrow marks his second martyrdom anniversary.
Commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani is the pride of Kashmir and the founder ofnew age resistance. He is a golden page on the history of the ongoingKashmir freedom movement. He was an appealing young leader who gave a newdirection to the Kashmir freedom movement. He became the icon for theKashmiri youngsters around the globe and especially for the youth livingunder Indian occupation. He will always be remembered as all other personswho lived for a cause and laid down their lives for it.
As his father recalls,
“Nearly Indian Army has thrashed everybody here … In any case, everybodydoesn’t turn into an activist or freedom fighter. It relies upon the amountone can take. Somebody’s ‘*Ghairat*‘ (self-respect) gets testedconsistently, so he chooses to reply. Others choose to remain calm. Mychild couldn’t stand to see the abominations and the mortification, sohe picked this path. Burhan’s fight is not only for himself but for thewhole Kashmir and for the sufferings of people of Indian occupied Kashmir.”
Burhan Wani was born in a well-educated family of occupied Kashmir. Hisfather, Muzaffar Ahmed Wani, was a principal of a higher secondary school.His mother is a science graduate. Since his childhood, like every Kashmiri,he was against Indian military atrocities in occupied Kashmir.
He joined the Hizbul Mujahideen (A group of Freedom Fighters who fightagainst illegal occupation of India over Kashmir) in 2010 at the mere ageof 15. According to some reports, once Burhan along with his elder brotherKhalid was beaten up by Indian security forces on their way back home forno reason. This incident provoked him to stand against illegal Indianoccupation on Kashmir. Soon after that incident, he joined the freedomfighters group. At the very young age of 21, he became the Commander ofHizbul Mujahideen.
Soon after joining Hizbul Mujahideen, Burhan Muzaffar Wani became an iconfor youth. He got fame through social media. He was the first activist andfreedom fighter from the Kashmir who decided to use social media for hiscause. He used to interact with youth throughFacebook and YouTube.
During June 2016 Hindu Yatra, he announced that his fight was not withcommon citizens of India but with Indian army – doing atrocities inKashmir. He declared that the people coming to Kashmir for HinduYatra were his guest.
He wanted all Kashmiris to stand against Indian occupation. Many times, inhis Video and audio messages, he requested all Kashmiris around the worldto get united against Indian forces.
Once while addressing to the people of Kashmir, he said,
“Kashmir is ours and Kashmir belongs to Kashmiris while Indian forces areillegal foreign occupiers in Kashmir.”
He requested the youth to throw stones on Indian army whenever seen inliving areas of Kashmir. Burhan Wani was rapidly becoming popular in theyouth of occupied Kashmir because of his video messages. A number of youngKashmiri men motivated by his speeches joined Hizab ul Mujahideen freedomfighter group which appeared threatful to India and Indian armed forceswhich is why they martyred Burhan Wani on 8th July 2016.
I’ll never forget the day when Burhan Wani was martyred. It was, surely,one of the saddest days for Kashmiris. It’s been two years now and still,my eyes turn teary on his name.
After the news of his martyrdom broke, people of Indian occupiedKashmir poured out in the streets. People broke curfews and all barriers toreach his hometown to attend his funeral. Whole Kashmir was echoing withthe slogan “Ham Kia Chahtay…. Azadi” [What we want… freedom]. Despite thehuge deployment of Indian forces, hundreds of thousands of people attendedBurhan’s funeral. Some reports suggest that his Namaz-e-Janaza was offeredmore than 40 times and the number of the attendees in each funeral prayerwas above 7 lac approximately.
Other than this, his absentee funeral prayer was offered in all parts ofoccupied Kashmir and Azad Kashmir.
There was seen a momentum in freedom fights after his martyrdom. Since 8th July2016, more than 1000 Kashmiris have been killed, pellets fired by Indianarmy injured more than 10 thousand people with the figures increasing everyday. Every day streets of Indian occupied Kashmir echoes with slogs chantedby the orphan children, widow mothers, dumped bodies and mass graves – allcalling for one word and one word only “Azadi”
Burhan Wani died for a cause. He died while protecting his people frombrutal Indian forces and fighting against injustice and barbarism practicedby India and Indian forces in occupied Kashmir. He sacrificed his life forthe freedom of Kashmir. Shaheed Burhan Wani, with his martyrdom, has givena new life to Kashmir freedom Movement. He will always be remembered as theking of Kashmir. We, the Kashmiris, will never let his cause die. We willkeep fighting until we get freedom from India.
BY: Ahsan Nazir Raja