Ashfaq Majeed Wani

Ashfaq Majeed Wani (Nastaleeq: اشفاق مجید وانی‬) (September 5, 1966 – March 30, 1990)^[1] was the first Commander-in-chief of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, a militant separatist group in Indian Administered Kashmir.^[2] He was killed by Indian Paramilitary Forces in 1990 at the age of 24.^[3] He is considered to be the mastermind behind the kidnapping of Rubiya Sayed,^[4] daughter of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, who was Home Minister of India at that time.

Biography

Ashfaq Majeed Wani, was born on September 6, 1966, in the Sarai Balla area of Srinagar in the valley of Kashmir. He studied at Tyndale Biscoe School and later went to Sri Pratap College and the University of Kashmir. 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.

He is regarded as the mastermind behind Kashmiri Insurgency which started in the 1990s. He was the only Kashmiri militant who met all military advisors, civil leaders, Prime Minister and President of Pakistan. He bashed Syed Ali Shah Geelani in the peak of militancy in the 1990s when Syed Ali Shah Geelani asked him to join the political movement instead of the militancy.

He came from a very rich family of Sarai Balla with a strong educational background. His brother, Illyas Majeed Wani, runs an electrical business in Maharaja Bazar, Srinagar. His father Abdul Majeed Wani was an engineer in the geology and mining department. His uncles are Ghulam Ahmad, Mushtaq Ahmed, Abdul Qayoom, Abdul Rouf. His aunts are doctors in SKIMS. His cousins are distributors of TATA Shakti Steel, JSW, SAIL, ISPAT and Bhushan Steel with an annual turnover of 100 crores. His father and uncles run conglomerate business with investments in the hospitality industry after retirement with hotels on Residency Road, Regal Lane, Sarai Balla, Hari Singh High Street, Budshah Chowk and malls on Residency Road, Srinagar and Hotels in Pahalgam & Gulmarg. His cousins Javed, Zahoor, Adnan, Afnan, Bilal, Anees Chowdary, Ajaz Chowdary, Muna Chowdary, Mitha Chowdhary have very close ties with JKLFs Yasin Malik and with other separatists such as Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Some work in MNCs outside Kashmir, some have family businesses and some are doctors, engineers or lawyers. In the early 90s, Ashfaq's family were the first in the Kashmir valley to install a 5000 MT Controlled Atmospheric Storage (CAS) plant worth crores in Lassipora, Pulwama.

A born leader, according to current JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik, his family have always contributed much to the freedom struggle of Kashmir. From philanthropy worth crores, Wanis has been involved in several charities after Ashfaq's death. His brother Illyas and cousins Adnan, Afnan, Javed, Altaf, Bilal, Prince, Imtiyaz, run a Foundation named "Ashfaq Majeed Foundation" which has two focus areas: Education and Healthcare. To increase the reach and influence of the Foundation, his father Abdul Majeed Wani has undertaken many initiatives. Wanis being themselves from a highly affluent class, with a conglomerate business ownership, have always cared for the poor and needy. In July 2012, Wani's offered to donate the profits of their hotels, steel businesses, and malls to the widows of Kashmir, the JK Yateem foundation and Yateem Trust. Wani's and Trumboo's (another Kashmiri business conglomerate with turnover of 1000 crores) decided to donate the profits of their hotels and malls to Darul Uloom Raheemiyah in 2012 and 2015.^[5]

Ashfaq Majeed Wani wanted to be a doctor but became interested in politics in his late teens. At the age of 14, Wani refused to accompany his family members in the funeral procession of Sheikh Abdullah, 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 March 23, 1987 for his involvement with the Muslim United Front, which took part in elections, was imprisoned at the Central Jail, Srinagar. Hundreds of other opposition activists have also arrested in police crackdowns across Indian Controlled 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.^[6] 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." ^[7]

Wani subsequently crossed into {Pakistan-Administrated Kashmir to obtain arms training under the supervision of the Pakistan Army. Many Kashmiris in the valley joined JKLF and obtained training and financial support in Pakistan and in Pakistan Administrated Kashmir. Most returned to Kashmir and the majority of them were killed by the Indian Army and Indian Paramilitary Forces. Grown up in the dingy Sarai Balla lanes of Srinagar city, Ashfaq Majeed, was the 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

Ashfaq Majeed 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 30th March 1990. Ashfaq received about 50 Namaz-e-Jinaza. When he died others separatists started their own organisations who had ideological differences with other leaders of JKLF. He is buried at martyrs graveyard in Srinagar's Downtown Idgah. Fateh Khawani is organised on 30th March every year at Sarai Balla, Amira Kadal at his ancestral home by JKLF. He has a brother and a sister married to Chowdharys who are his cousins also. His father is regarded as father figure by JKLF and hizbul mujahiddeen ideologues. His father Er. Abdul Majeed Wani is suffering from PTSD.

References