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Written by Shams Rehman for the Maqbool Bhat Foundation India is acclaimed by the democratic world as the largest democracy on earth. While there is no doubt that democratic traditions and institutions in India are far more established, when it comes to Kashmir India is no more than an occupier and oppressive state that rules…

Written by Shams Rehman for the Maqbool Bhat Foundation   Maqbool Bhat was born on 18th February 1938 to a peasant family in Trahagam village Tehsil Handwara, district Kupwara. His father was called Ghulam Qadar Bhat. All we know about his mother is that she died when Maqbool Bhat was 11 years old pupil in…

Written by Shams Rehman for the Maqbool Bhat Foundation After completing his secondary school certificate, Maqbool Bhat moved on to St. Joseph College in Baramula. This was a private missionary college. Here he gained his first degree (BA) in history and political science. Answering to a question about his college days from 1954 to 1958,…

Written by Shams Rehman for the Maqbool Bhat Foundation The journey on that road to great sacrifice for Maqbool Bhat was started while still a student at St. Joseph College. Responding to a question about crossing over to Pakistan in the above interview that was recorded in room number 26 of Mujahid Hotel International, Maqbool…

Written by Shams Rehman for the Maqbool Bhat Foundation First and foremost problem before Maqbool Bhat in Pakistan was to continue his education and at the same time find a job to meet the expenses. For with out that “it was hard to live in Pakistan’. Therefore, I joined ’Injam’ (end/conclusion/performance), a weekly magazine, as…

Written by Shams Rehman for the Maqbool Bhat Foundation For the next ten months the group of four recruited more people into the ranks of NLF including GM Lone (the vice president of PF) and on 10th June 1966 the first group of NLF members secretly crossed over to the Indian occupied Kashmir. Maqbool Bhat,…

Written by Shams Rehman for the Maqbool Bhat Foundation Soon they started planning escape from the prison and within a month and half managed to escape from the prison in Srinagar. Maqbool Bhat later wrote in great detail about the escape and submitted that before the Special Trial Court in Pakistant where he was tried…

Written by Shams Rehman for the Maqbool Bhat Foundation The event that brought Maqbool Bhat and the Kashmir Issue in limelight in Kashmir, South Asia and at international level was the hijacking of an Indian Fokker plane ‘Ganga’. There are several official and common theories about the background and impacts of this hijacking which can…

Written by Shams Rehman for the Maqbool Bhat Foundation With NLF dismantled and PF demoralised, Maqbool Bhat once again crossed over to the Indian occupied Kashmir against the advice of many of his friends and comrades in May 1976. This time he went with Abdul Hammed Bhat and Riaz Dar. Within few days of crossing…

Written by Shams Rehman for the Maqbool Bhat Foundation  An extra-constitutional execution, an act of vengeance The constitutionality of Maqbool’s hanging has raised many a question ever since February 11, 1984. There is no denying the fact that Maqbool was accused of murder and that a court had awarded death sentence. It is also a…