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The Kashmir Problem is an important international problem.However in discussions about Kashmir the view of Kashmiris which is in the Kashmiri language gets ignored.This article discusses a poem regarding the Kashmir Problem by the great Kashmiri Poet Mehjoor(1888-1952) which is a versification of a very important speech by the great Kashmiri leader Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah made in 1949 at the shrine of Hazratbal.An understanding of the character and views of Sheikh Abdullah is essential for any person who wants to understand the Kashmir problem in its proper perspective and this article is an attempt in that direction

This article has serious POV problems, and is also almost completely OR of the Hazratbal speech. I am copying the speech analysis here; the actual details of the Sheikh's career will have to be filled in. Hornplease 08:02, 24 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sheikh Abdullah made a very important speech in the shrine of Hazratbal on 14 January 1949. Its importance can be gauged from the fact that this is the only speech of Sheikh Abdullah that Mehjoor rendered into verse. Unfortunately as Mehjoor's poem is written in the Kashmiri language it has not received the attention it deserves, although apart from its literary merit, this poem is of great importance for anyone who wants to study the situation in Kashmir in its proper perspective.

Freedom according to Sheikh Abdullah is freedom from exploitation and not the exchange of a foreign despot with a native one

“We are the slaves of the feudal system.
We will free ourselves from this bondage,
This was our aim and the foundation of our struggle.
This is the right path and the essence of our freedom”

It is very important to note that Sheikh is referring to a particular system and not to any particular person, race or group. He does not consider Kashmiris as slaves of Dogras but slaves of the feudal system. Removal of Dogras from power would not make an iota of difference to the slavery of the Kashmiris unless the psychological slavery that goes with the feudal mentality is gotten rid off. In this view he was so far ahead of his time that even today many people fail to understand the real import of the direction in which Sheikh Abdullah was trying to move his people. Thus it is argued that had Kashmir acceded to Pakistan the Feudal landlords who were Hindus would have run away leaving the land held by them in the hands of the local population , but this is not at all what the Sheikh is aiming at. He wants a change in mentality and not an exchange of despots or land ownership. It is slavery to the feudal mentality that has to be got rid of and not any particular ruler or feudal lord. The Dogras after all were not foreigners but one of the many tribes that inhabited the state of Jammu and Kashmir since ancient times.

“We are still slaves and if at present we accede to either of the   two countries
Our slavery will continue for ever (Feudal rulers will remain in place)”
Till now we were the slaves of one despot
Now fortuitously we are in a position to gain freedom
We can not now become slaves of another
Even if we die we will not commit such a mistake.”

In Sheikhs view it is not the sovereignty of the ruler but the sovereignty of the mass of the people that is the crux of freedom.

“With time the fires of civil war will burn out
We would then accede to that country
That will be the first to rid us of our troubles
That would keep our freedom intact 
That would be willing to consider us a free people”

Sheikh Abdullah was an advocate of real freedom and not phony freedom and that meant the wishes of the people should be paramount. He put this principle into practice in the very beginning of his speech when he asked the people to decide at the very outset whether they wanted him as their leader

 “It is up to you to decide
Whether you trust them or me.
As long as you consider me your leader
I will keep on sacrificing my life for my people.
If you do not have faith in me
You are at liberty to choose some other leader.
I assure you that whomsoever you choose as your leader
I will also become his faithful follower”

He minced no words in making this point clear to both Indians and Pakistanis

 "It was during this period that some powerful persons visited me
They were the ambassadors of India and Pakistan.
I told them both in plain words,
'We desperately want to become free.
Both of you should help us to gain freedom,
This is what will make us prosperous.
Once people are free they would be sovereign
To decide with which of the two they should accede.
Without doubt whatever the people decide
I along with my party men will support that.
I will not make any objection or oppose them
This I tell you plainly without circumlocution.”

It was on this principle that even when attacked by tribal invaders and in dire straits he agreed to accede to India for obtaining military help only after Nehru made a public commitment that this accession was temporary and subject to final ratification by the people.

 “Jawahar who feels for our sorrows and is a statesman.
Who is the pride of both India and Kashmir
He said, “This accession is only temporary,
It is only an excuse for being able to help you
Once war is over and peace is restored
The people of Kashmir will be asked to give their considered opinion
This accession will become permanent
Only when the people will endorse it unanimously.”
He made this speech on Radio
All who heard it applauded it.
After a few days he came personally to Kashmir
And put forward his proposal in public.”

The plebiscite movement that started after the Sheikh was incarcerated in 1953 was only a natural outcome of the Sheikh’s position which was clearly stated in his speech. While stating his position Shiekh Abdullah realistically anticipated the difficulties that had to be surmounted

 “This Jammu and Kashmir is our country.
  Four million Men and Women inhabit this land.
  It includes the mountainous regions of Gilgit and Ladakh
  And also Marwah,Wadwan and Kishtawar.
  People from these regions have to decide about accession,
  They will row the boat in their chosen direction.
  This is a prolonged and drawn out process.
  It can not be hastened preparations take time.
  Thousands of Muslim and Hindu families
  Have become migrants distraught and homeless.
  We have to bring the migrants back
  They have to be again rehabilitated
  Their homes have to be reconstructed, they must be given rations.
  They have to be provided with wearing apparel.
  This is no easy matter.
  Not one but thousands of families have to be rehabilitated.
  You have yourself seen how in olden days,
  If the government wanted to hold a minor election,
  It would take time and preparation.
  If someone amongst you decides to hold a wedding reception
  It takes at least six months of careful preparation.
  In brief I want you to understand
  Your journey is fraught with danger and your goal distant.
  It is essential that you should wait and be patient.
  Maintain calm and remain peaceful.
  We have to move forward with circumspection
  Be very careful, show deep insight
  Acting rashly in this situation
  Will surely result in doom and destruction.
  I have told the people beforehand,
  We ourselves will apply balm to our own wounds.”

He clearly understood that neither India nor Pakistan were willing to grant real Democracy as the vested interests were strong in both countries but peaceful and dogged perseverance would ultimately help to bring about a progressive change in the mindset of not only Kashmiris but also the people of India and Pakistan. Thus the struggle of the Kashmiris for freedom will catalyse the democratic process in both India and Pakistan

“Have patience, wait patiently
 These troubles are temporary they will pass.
 We should have courage, join hands 
 Leave aside doubts and become like lions.
 The Nations boat is adrift,
 We will bring it back to the shore. Solve our problems.
 We have seen hardship for eighteen years.
 We will remain steadfast and so achieve success. 
 I doubt not you will do that I say
 Have patience, face troubles fearlessly
 If you keep moving forward with patience and courage
 If you do not accept defeat, get frightened or tired
 I swear on oath before you
 Kashmir will be resurrected, our dignity exalted
 Kashmir will make India immortal
 And Kashmir will immortalize the name of Pakistan.”

The post 1949 history of Sheikh Abdullah is the history of a leader who is also a realist and is continuously coming to terms with the demands of a realpolitik that is governed by powerful players beyond his control

“We have our own problems. Who will listen to us?
 Maintaining dignity and patience is our only option.”

Some writers including A G Noorani have criticized the so called rigging of elections in 1951 when Sheikh was in power. They have perhaps not considered that conditions in 1950’s when the Election Commission was still in its infancy and holding elections was still a novel exercise for the people of the subcontinent. In India it has taken half a century for the election process to evolve to the level prevailing at present .In 1950 the State had no experience of holding elections in an organized fashion. It would be nearly half a century before Seshan would become Election Commissioner and model code of conduct develop slowly over a protracted period. Sheikh Abdullah was running an administration with higher officials more loyal than the king and the lower workers illiterate and ignorant of the demands of an election process which was an extremely novel process at that time. Massive irregularities in elections were to be the norm for decades in India. The machinery for conducting free and fair elections and the requisite experience of the electorate for the same has only now developed in India after decades of experience and demanding the same standards from the war ravaged administration of Kashmir in 1950’s would be unrealistic. The Sheikh was aware of these problems.

“I agree we are not totally blameless.   
We must have surely made mistakes.   
But why do you not judge justly   
And make allowance for the difficulties that we are facing”   
  

An additional problem was the presence of sympathizers of the feudal system and agents of foreign powers who were out to sabotage the system and disillusion the people while pretending to support the revolution eventually paving the way for subsequent arrest and removal from power of Sheikh in 1953.

“We have bound the landlords and the tyrannous rich.
 We have ended the tyranny of the feudal lords.
 These were the persons who with great pomp and show
 Tyrannized the masses with impunity.
 We have pared their cruel claws
 We have broken their tyrannical swords.
 They have now to accept him as their ruler
 Whom they scorned as Tom, Dick or Harry
 This for the tyrants is bitter medicine
 They are angry with us, have a grudge in their hearts.
 They have lost wealth, power and land
 They have become our enemies and critics
 They have now donned the robe of cunning
 They sow the seeds of doubt among the people by spreading rumors.
 All of you see the efforts that we are making
 We have been facing hardships for eighteen years
 We have developed the infrastructure needed for democracy
 Working people now have power and dignity
 In contrast our critics come forth
 And sow delusions among the simple folk.”

Shiekh Abdullah in 1949 considered the struggle of Kashmiri people not in isolation but as a worldwide struggle of the human race for Democracy and freedom. At the very outset he asked the Kashmiri people to express their solidarity with the people of Indonesia who in their struggle against the Dutch colonial rulers are comrades of the Kashmiris who are also fighting for freedom like them

“On the sea coast is situated a country
 It is called Indonesia-listen carefully
 Its inhabitants are slaves like us.
 They serve tyrants day and night.”

And finally while expressing his solidarity with the people of Indonesia he moves on to include all people who are fighting for their liberty and rights

“The Dargah is a hallowed exalted place
 God accepts prayers made here for the sake of his holy prophet.
 We will supplicate at the Dargah and pray
 “O God grant them what they desire.
 Along with us give them freedom and happiness”
 And likewise we pray for all enslaved people of the world.”

It is remarkable that in 1949 Sheikh Sahib is talking not only of Kashmiris, Indonesians, Muslims or Asians but of all enslaved people of the world. In this, he is preaching humanism at its best, humanism that supersedes nationality, race, color or religion and he has the courage to do it before a highly communally polarized audience where his detractors portray him as an infidel and enemy of Islam who literally deserves to be burnt at the stake for failing to side with a Muslim Pakistan against a Godless India.

The Sheikh clearly tells the people not to view their struggle for freedom in isolation but understand it in an International perspective.

“ The old order in the world is changing
  So fast that man is left wondering.
  Having seen the worlds behavior
  Having carefully studied the book of its revolutions
  Think over it and show wisdom”

And he draws parallels between the situation in Kashmir and Palestine.

"Do you not see what is happening in Indonesia?
Why do you not take lessons from what is happening in Palestine?"

It is as a humanist that the Sheikh stands a head above his contemporaries. Although a devout Muslim who has the utmost veneration for the shrine of Hazratbal and deep belief in God yet in the highest traditions of sufistic Islam he is deeply concerned about the welfare of all people who inhabit the state irrespective of their caste ,creed or religion.He considers justice and fair play insuperable from the practice of the Islamic faith. Thus talking of the oppressed people of Indonesia he exhorts Kashmiris to show their solidarity with the Indonesians because it is the duty of Muslims to side with those supporting the cause of freedom

“The neighboring countries heard of their plight
They were filled with sorrow for the Indonesians
They condemned the atrocities of the Dutch.
It is proper for us Kashmiris also
That we should express our solidarity with them.
We are Muslims and this is our duty
All free people have done the same.”

And when like a devout Muslim he prays at the shrine of Hazratbal his prayer is for the freedom of all enslaved people irrespective of their Nationality, caste creed or religion.

“The Dargah is a hallowed exalted place
 God accepts prayers made here for the sake of his holy prophet.
 We will supplicate at the Dargah and pray
 O God grant them what they desire.
 Along with us give them freedom and happiness
 And likewise we pray for all enslaved people of the world.”

He is horrified at the carnage committed by Muslims and Hindus in the name of religion and the loss of tolerance from the subcontinent

“When the people came to know that they had attained independence
 They cast off all human values
 They forgot their human nature and became beasts.
 Like vicious dogs they started to bite each other
 The Hindus murdered all the Muslims in their locality
 The Muslims likewise slaughtered the Hindus.
 Countless Hindus and Muslims were killed,
 Lakhs of dead bodies were piled up in heaps.
 Lakhs of men women and little children,
 Were killed, like mosquitoes swatted.
 What more can I tell, India was destroyed,
 India which was once likened to Eden (for its tolerance)”

He compares the internecine fighting between Muslims and Hindus of the subcontinent to a fight between two vicious cats

“At present people of India and Pakistan are engaged in mayhem and 
 murder
 They have forgotten the lessons of love and tolerance.
 They have become senseless, demented
 That is why a brother is killing his brother.
 Let us wait till their fever abates and their madness is cured
 After shedding blood, as happens with cats who have fought for a 
 long time”

He praises the Muslims and Hindus of Kashmir for their loving tolerant nature and wants the question of accession to be decided not by a majority vote with the Muslims over ruling the Hindus but by a consensus that satisfies the people of both the communities.

“Muslims and Hindus of this State have a loving nature
They treat each other with love and affection.
The civil war was raging in India and Punjab
News of this war filled the Kashmiris with sorrow.
Every morn brought doleful news
Of a brother tearing asunder his brother’s breast
If at that time I would have said, “Come,
Tell me with whom shall we accede?”
The Muslims would never say India
For they would be afraid of getting killed.
Similarly the Hindus would be horrified
If even the name of Pakistan was mentioned
With such a war raging and under such conditions
It would be most improper to debate accession.
Hence it is necessary that we should wait
With time the fires of civil war will burn out
We would then accede to that country
Which will be the first to rid us of our troubles
Which would keep our freedom intact
Which would be willing to consider us a free people.”

He requests his opponents to not allow their mutual differences to stand in the way of their goal of uplifting Kashmir

I ask these friends
Let them think
These mutual differences,
Will they persist forever or will they be resolved?
Surely our life is ephemeral
It is unwise to think of it as eternal
However our country will remain for aeons
Our children will continue to inhabit this land.
So we should not take a step without thinking
We have to think of our future.
How we can convert
Our beautiful Kashmir into a splendid flower garden
That our children may live free and sovereign
We should try to make conditions suitable for that.
These friends have tested my nature for long
I never harbor a grudge against anyone in my heart.”

Kashmiris refer to Sheikh Abdullah as “ The Lion of Kashmir ” and not without reason . It is easy to be an arm chair philosopher and theorize in the security of ones home but to stand before a crowd of hundreds of thousand of people rabidly polarized on religious lines and tell them to practice a rational rather than a communal approach needs extraordinary courage. At a time when Muslims not believing in the two nation theory were considered guilty of apostasy and a Muslim who disputed accession to Pakistan a heretic fit to burnt at the stake the Shiekh stood before a crowd of hundreds of thousands of Muslims in the holiest shrine of Hazratbal and without mincing words clearly stated

“With time the fires of civil war will burn out
 We would then accede to that country
 Which will be the first to rid us of our troubles
 Which would keep our freedom intact
 Which would be willing to consider us a free people.”

In Sheikhs time when Kashmiris were considered a weak and pusillanimous race, when the term “Kashmiri soldier” was considered an oxymoron, thousands of tribals from Hazara and Murree known for their ferocious, cruel and warlike nature invaded Kashmir. The Sheikh with his characteristic courage did not flinch but exhorted the people to stand up and face the invaders bravely with the slogan

“ Hamla Awar Kabhardar
  Hum Kashmiri Hain Tayyar”(O invader  beware, we Kashmiris are ready(to fight invasion))

And the people responded en masse to the Sheikhs call . Inspired by the Sheikhs leadership and courage a young Kashmiri boy Sherwani who was a zealous worker of National Conference without caring for his life kept bringing information and taking messages on a motorcycle between the party's units in Baramulla and the party's headquarters in Srinagar.Sheikh Abdullah recounts in Atish e Chinar that one day he was captured near the village of Sangrama on the road to Baramulla.He was asked by the tribals to renounce his membership of the National Conference and condemn Sheikh Abdullah.He instead shouted slogans asserting his faith in Sheikh Abdullah.The tribals were furious at his obstinacy and as a punishment tortured Sherwani to death pumping more than fourteen bullets into the young boys body.The popular rumour that he was killed because he misled the tribals delaying the capture of Srinagar airport is not substantiated by any historical record and seems to have been circulated to discredit him and is also not supported by circumstantial evidence(See below). The great Kashmiri poet Mehjoor was so moved by Sherwani's sacrifice that he wrote a poem “Sherwanis Dream” in whose last stanza Sherwani tells the Kashmiris that:

 “As long as you obey the bidding of the Lion of Kashmir 
  Neither the Waziris will have the strength  to kill you nor the
  Hazaris will be able to defeat you”

Recently Sandeep Bamzai the grandson of the noted historian K.N.Bamzai has in his book Bonfire of Kashmiriyat alleged that sending of tribals from NWFP to invade Kashmir was masterminded by the then British Governor of NWFP Sir George Cunningham.He planned this move so as to stir up religious fervour among the people of NWFP.This religious polarization would serve two purposes.It would ensure continuing enimity between Pakistan and India on one hand and between Pakistan and Afghanistan on the other as both India and Afghanistan could be dubbed as socialist Kafirs.This would ensure an open field for the great powers to play their little games.Sandeep Bamzai asks "What if Kabali/Afridi raiders hadn't paused to sack, rape and pillage a small Franciscan Missionaries of Mary Convent in Baramulla,instead of seizing Srinagar airport where 329 Sikhs of the First Sikh Regiment and eight tons of equipment landed on october 27 to turn the tide once and for all.Dominique Lapiierre and Larry Collins writing in Freedom at Midnight provide a vivid recounting of what transpired.:"By pausing to sack the convent in the little city of Baramulla only 30 miles from Srinagar,when they should have been driving on the capital of Kashmir and its vital airfield,the Pathan raiders would end Jinnahs dream of joining Jehangir's beloved vale to his nation." It is possible that few agent provocateurs planted specifically for the purpose among the tribals by Cunningham could have easily provoked them to indulge in this diversionary activity ensuring that the Kashmir problem remained between the newly independent countries. If Bamzais view about Cunninghams involvement is correct then we must admit that he was eminently successful.Indeed the ease with which the United States was able to persuade Pakistan to become a kingpin in its fight against the USSR was in no small measure dependent on the years of hatred and mistrust between the countries of the subcontinent nurtured so assidiously by the erstwhile colonial rulers.

1.Ahad O Payman e Hazratbal by Mehjoor Kashmiri in Kulyat e Mehjoor page415 M.Y.Teng Ed Published by J & K Academy of Arts Culture and Languages Srinagar 1983

2.English translation of Mehjoors poem Ahad O Payman e Hazratbal By Syed Taffazull Hussain (In Press) Preprint may be requested by email to taffazull@yahoo.com

Merge and redirect OK? --Mereda 08:11, 6 November 2006 (UTC) Done. Mereda 16:14, 8 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

• Maharaja Hari Singh (1895–1961), was the last ruling Maharaja / Emperor / King of all Lands and Territories of the princely state / Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir in India. He was the Father of Dr. Karan Singh.
• Instrument of Accession (Jammu and Kashmir) to the Country / Dominion of India
• Lord Mountbatten
• Jammu and Kashmir, India
• Dr. Karan Singh, son of Maharaja Hari Singh and distinguished diplomat, Congress Leader from J&K, Royal Family and would have been the present Maharaja / Emperor / King of all Lands and Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Karan Singh was born heir apparent to the then ruler of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and served successively as regent, Sardar-i-Riyasat and governor of the state.
• History of Jammu and Kashmir
• Kashmir region
• India
• Kashmir
• Kashmiri
• Kashmiri Pandit
• Kashmir conflict
• Terrorism in Kashmir
• Kargil War
• Indo-Pakistani Wars
• Line of Control Kashmir
• What is called by the Government of Pakistan as Azad Kashmir but is infact an integral part of Jammu and Kashmir
• Pakistan-administered Kashmir an area of Kashmir adminstered by Pakistan, in fact an integral part of Jammu and Kashmir
• Kargil War or the Indo-Pakistani War of 1999
• LOC Kargil, a 2003 Bollywood war film based on "Kargil War" or the "Indo-Pakistani War of 1999", directed by J.P.Dutta
• Indo-China War Kashmir
• Trans-Karakoram Tract an area of Kashmir administered by China, in fact an integral part of Jammu and Kashmir
• Aksai Chin an area of Kashmir adminstered by China, infact another integral part of Jammu and Kashmir
• 2005 Kashmir earthquake
• Dogra
• Rajput
• Dynasties of Ancient Kashmir
• Maharaja / Emperor / King
• Monarch / Maharaja / Emperor / King
• List of political parties in the state
• List of topics on the land and the people of “Jammu and Kashmir”

External Links

• Proclamation of May 1, 1951 on Jammu & Kashmir Constituent Assembly by Yuvraj (Crown Prince) Karan Singh from the Official website of Government of Jammu and Kashmir, India
• Conflict in Kashmir: Selected Internet Resources by the Library, University of California, Berkeley, USA; University of California at Berkeley Library Bibliographies and Web-Bibliographies list

Atulsnischal 02:43, 23 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This article was automatically assessed because at least one WikiProject had rated the article as stub, and the rating on other projects was brought up to Stub class. BetacommandBot 19:49, 9 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

• The below quote was added to the top of the article by Alexis49. I don't think it (or any quote) belongs at the top of the article. The question remains, however, whether there is a place for the quote in the article.

• I have moved it here and removed it from the article, for the time being.

[ Look...If you try to find me only in books and files of documents you will loose your way...My life has been tempestous like the ocean...No one man can grasp it in its entirety...take my advice...limit the scope of your enquiry. ] Sheikh Abdullahs advice to his biographer M.Y.Taing who wanted to write his biography which was published after his death under the title Atish e Chinar

Was Sheikh Abdullah a successful politician? There can be more than one opinion about it. Was Sheikh Abdullah a good man? This is a moot question.One thing beyond dispute is his patriotism. He loved Kashmir to distraction. He could sacrifice the worlds kingdoms for the sake of Kashmir. His entire life has been an expression of this love. It is for the sake of this unfathomable love for Kashmir that Kashmiris turn a blind eye to his faults and see only his virtues. - Shamim Ahmed Shamim Kashmiri writer and Journalist

Do not detest a pomegranate, just because ,there are a few rotten seeds inside.-Altaf Hussain Hali

• Quotes put the whole article in perspective.Alexis49 (talk) 05:39, 26 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

• I agree with Ziphon that a quote doesn't belong at the top of the article. I'd ask how many articles on wikipedia begin with qoutes, and how many begin with a huge block of bold text. The answer is not many, and none that are widely read and well recieved by the community at large. There may well be a place for the quote, but that place is not at the top of the article, and not bolded like that. At first glance, the block of text makes the article look less than it can be. It doesn't work very well with the style guidelines, as others have pointed out on Alexis49's talk page, but it's worse than that. It's visually rough. That, ultimatly, might have the effect of discouraging a reader from finding out more about the Sheikh's life, which I suspect is the opposite of Alexis49's intention. So, I suggest including the quote in context, in the article, but not posting it at the top like that. No matter what happens with the quotes, ultimately, I'd ask Alexis49 to take a look at the manual of style to help the quote fit into the article more seamlessly. AubreyEllenShomo (talk) 05:19, 12 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Some important biographical details of Sheikh Abdullah which I had psted were subsequently removed by other editors.I am posting them here for comments about their suitability for incorporation in the main article.Alexis49 (talk) 04:19, 27 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Sheikh Abdullah in his very first presidential speech delivered at the inception of the Muslim Conference in 1932 declared that the party will struggle not only for the rights of muslims but also of hindus,sikhs and other communities inhabiting the state.The need to make Muslim Conference more broad based was first articulated by Raja Mohammed Akbar Khan of Mirpur at the 6th Annual meeting of the party in 1937.He in his address to the party comprehensively reviewed the bad effects of despotism and feudalism and stressed the need for reorganizing the party as a secular, nationalist organization that would provide a new vision and vigour to the popular struggle.The Government felt that his speech represented a rebillious mentality and so after getting him implicated in a trumped up case had him sentenced by a court to undergo 18 months imprisonment.This unjust behaviour of the government angered the people and brought the emancipated hindu and muslim leaders closer to each other.

Sheikh Abdullah introduced a resolution in the working committee of the Muslim Conference on 24th June 1938 for changing the name of Muslim Conference to National Conference to allow people from all communities to join the struggle against the Autocratic rule of the feudal Maharajas. This was adopted by the working committee by a large majority and had to be now sent for ratification to the General Council of the party.

In 1938 elections were held to the newly constituted Prajaya Sabha and all the twenty one muslim seats were won by the Muslim Conference.The hindu communal party Yuvak Sabha defeated the candidate put up by the emancipated Pandit leaders Jia Lal Kilam and Kashyap Bandhoo and in disgust these two also joined the Muslim Conference and started articulating the demand for a responsible government.This ultimately led to the drafting of a document entitled National Demands (which was a list of demands for establishment of a responsible representative government in Kashmir) On 28th August 1938 Sheikh Abdullah defying prohibitory orders put forth theNational Demandsin a public speech in Hazratbal.Sheikh Abdullah was arrested for defying prohibitory orders the following day.Sheikh Abdullah's arrest provoked large scale public demonstrations and strikes in Srinagar.Meetings in which Hindus and Sikhs participated along with the Muslims were held demanding the implementation of National Demands and release of Sheikh Abdullah.The government tried to suppress the agitation by indulging in large scale arrests and threats to dismiss any government official whose relatives were found supporting the National Demands.Following the arrest of most of the leaders of the Muslim Conference the State branch of the All India States Peoples Conference took over the job of organising the agitation for acceptance of National Demands.However the agitation was suspended by the All India States Peoples Conference following an Appeal by Mahatama Gandhi.Sheikh Abdullah after serving his sentence was released on 24th February 1939 and on his coming back to Srinagar was accorded a magnificient welcome by the residents.

Following the release of Sheikh Abdullah the resolution for change of the name of Muslim Conference to National Conference previouisly approved by the working committee of the Muslim Conference was taken up for ratification by the General Council of the party which ratified it on 27th April 1939. Now it had to be ratified by a special full session of the party.The special session of the Muslim Conference was called on 10th June 1939.After an exhaustive debate the resolution was put to vote on 11th June.One hundred and seventy six members attending the special session cast their votes in support and only four members namely Molvi Abdullah Vakil , Khawaja Ghulam Ahmed Ganai,Sheikh Ahmed Din Banihali and Chaudhary Hameedullah Khan voted against the resolution. After the resolution was passed these four members walked out of the meeting.

Some members of the Muslim Conference who disagreed with his decision reestablished the Muslim Conference and it remained an important player in Kashmir Politics.It is still an important party in the area of Kashmir that is under Pakistan's control .He was repeatedly jailed by the then Maharaja Hari Singh.

Sheikh Abdullah in his biography Atish e Chinar has given the following reasons for supporting the change in name of Muslim Conference to National Conference.

1.The seed of the idea of forming a united and secular front for representative government was sown in July 1932 when Sheikh Abdullah had a chance meeting with the Pandit statesman Prem Nath Bazaz in the Chesmashai Mughal Garden.Prem Nath Bazaz had already gained recognition as a member of the Glancy Commission established by the Maharajah to give recommendations for redressal of the greviances of the Kashmiris where he had behaved with great maturity ,courage and farsightedness.He had warned his coreligionists that dividing the people and their problems into hindu and muslim compartments would only complicate their solution and for this had gained the ire of the Kashmiri hindus.This had endeared him to Sheikh Abdullah.The two agreed that the struggle of the Kashmiris would be successful only if it was run on progressive and democratic lines.To promote this the two agreed to start a weekly newspaper entitled HAMDARD.(For many years this paper was jointly edited by Sheikh Abdullah and Bazaz before the two quarreled and Sheikh Abdullah sold his share in the paper to Bazaz for a reasonable consideration).

2.In the same year Mohammed Ali Jinnah came to Kashmir and was engaged in the case of Meher Ali vs Haneefa Begum as a lawyer by one of the parties.Here on 3rd June 1932 he was invited to address a meeting of the Muslim Conference held to celeberate the festival of Idd e Milad un Nabi.Replying to the welcome address read by Chaudhary Ghulam Abbas Jinnah said "... You in your welcome address have referred to me as a votary of Hindu Muslim Unity. I assure you that for me this unity is not limited to merely vague verbal protestations.I declare from the depths of my heart that I have worked for this unity for years and will continue to do so in future.It is my conviction that residents of British India will never fulfill their hope of ruling their country without this unity....there is one thing that I would like to stress upon you and your leaders- they should always keep assuring the minorities of this State i.e the hindus that they would always be treated with justice and as equals.I have adhered to this principle in British India but have failed to convince a few leaders that as long as we do not adopt this principle we can have no hope to obtain (real) independence.I tell you that without assuring the minorities that they would get equal treatment your troubles will not end. I once again thank you ,leaders of the Muslim Conference and the members of the Audience."

Sheikh Abdullah took this speech as a hint from Jinnah that that Muslim Conference should be made more broadbased and representative than it was at that time.

3.In 1937 Jawaharlal Nehru came to Lahore as a guest of Mian Iftikharuddin President of Punjab Pradesh Congress and met Sheikh Abdullah at Lahore railway station(See above).Nehru advised Sheikh Abdullah to open the doors of his party to persons of all creeds so that the communal press of India would not be able to brand his party as a communal party.

4.In the same year Sheikh Abdullah called upon the great poet Sir Muhammad Iqbal. Iqbal advising him said "... The salvation of Kashmiris lies in coming together under the aegis of a common organisation.Muslim Conference must open its doors to non muslims.This is the only path by which you can obtain freedom , else your personal differences will be exploited by vested interests for their own purposes."

5.Dr.Saifuddin Kichlu a veteran congress leader of Kashmiri origin whose ancestors had migrated to Amritsar was a great influence in convincing Sheikh Abdullah of the need for making the Muslim Conference a more broadbased organisation.

6.The Muslim Conference right from its inception was a party with a nationalist rather than a religious outlook.Changing its name to National Conference was only calling a spade a spade. It did not involve any major change in the party manifesto.

The Maharaja following the policy of divide and rule engineered and encouraged discord between the National Conference and the religious parties like the Muslim Conference and Hindu Yuvak Sabha.Brawls between the supporters of the Muslim Conference led by Molvi Yusuf Shah and National Conference led by Sheikh Abdullah vitiated the atmosphere in the valley and led to a rapid erosion of the popular support for the National Conference.To maintain his leadership Sheikh Abdullah needed a bold new approach and so in 1946 he called upon the Maharaja to hand over power to the people.Taking cue from the Quit India slogan of the Congress he gave the slogan of Quit Kashmir demanding an end to the feudal rule of the Maharaja.

Sheikh Abdullah fired the first salvo when on 15th May 1946 addressing a big gathering in Maisuma a busy locality in Srinagar he announced that with the departure of the British from India all treaties between the British and their stooges i.e the feudal rulers would become null and void.( Maharaja Gulab Singh had received possession of Kashmir by the treaty of Amritsar)In another speech the Shiekh thundered "...When the Indian freedom movement demands the complete withdrawal of British power,logically enough the stooges of British Imperialism(i.e feudal rulers) also should go and restore sovereignty to the real owners-the people.....Handcuffs jingle.They do not make us afraid....Sovereignty is not the birthright of a ruler.Every man,woman and child will shout "Quit Kashmir".The Kashmiri Nation has expressed its will.I ask for a plebiscite on this question." These fiery speeches caused an upheaval among the Kashmiri people.Jawaharlal Nehru hearing of the turn events had taken in Kashmir invited Sheikh Abdullah to come to Delhi for discussions.Enroute to Delhi the Sheikh was intercepted and arrested in the town of Muzaffarabad on 20th May under Defence Rules.He was brought back the next day to Badami Bagh Cantonement.The news of Sheikh Abdullah's arrest provoked strikes and demonstrations throughout the valley.The Maharaja ordered the police to open fire on the demonstrators and as per official reports more than twenty persons were killed as a result of police firing on unarmed demonstrators.

In his biography Atish e Chinar Sheikh Abdullah Claims that among the leaders of the Indian National Congress only Nehru supported him.The then congress president Acharya Kriplani opposed him as did Sardar Patel.He was opposed too by the Hindu religious press which was sympathetic to the Hindu MaharajahJinnah referred to the Quit Kashmir movement as a movement of ruffians and hinted that it was supported by the Soviet Union.Nehru However sent a number of telegrams to the Maharajah demanding Sheikh Abdullahs release

His eldest child was daughter Khalida, while Farooq was the eldest son, followed by two sons Tariq and Mustafa Kamal, and another daughter, Suraiya, who was his youngest child.[^[1]]

In the higher studies section, there is a discrimination mentioned by Dogras against Muslims even though there was one Muslim student. At that time in India, the percentage of Muslims was only two percent. In that sense, they only deserved 0.4 which is a fraction less than 0.5, and when rounded to the nearest tenth equals a zero. Then why has the author mentioned it to be a discrimination, even when there was one student who was Muslim. And also, if the author has to mention discrimination against Muslims, he is forgetting other many religions, which would include Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Sanatanis, Aryans and a lot others which do not always whine and create an abnormal hue and cry for their own incompetency. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lbharti (talk • contribs) 00:56, 30 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

At the time mentioned Kashmir was not a part of British India but a Princely State with more than 80% Muslim population!Alexis49 (talk) 05:48, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Removed Controversies from article to discussion as it is not a biographical detail but a point for discussionAlexis49 (talk) 05:48, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Sheikh Abdullah is considered as an agent for Indian community to integrate Kashmir with India which is against the wishes of Majority of People of Kashmir.He never struggled for the freedom of Kashmir but developed anti-India sentiments by creating hatred against India only because for his vested interests.He abroggated the post of Prime Minister and Sadr-E-Riyasat for the State of Jammu and Kashmir.During his tenure he concentrated more on the development of Jammu rather than Kashmir to please the India rulers. His son Farooq Abdullah was the Member of JKNLF but latter on became the Chief Minster of State but the Relation of Farooq Abdullah to JKNLF was know to Him.He was burried at Naseem Bagh suituated at the banks of Nageen Lake which is violation of the Public property as per state law. Since there was mass uprising in Kashmir in 1989 against the Indian Rule as a result people tried to destroy his grave.So Indian government deployed troops arround the garden with heavy bunkers and the grave is sorrounded with heavy Fence with electric current to make it totally no-entry zone. He has got the nicknames as Abdulla Gadda (Fisherman), Abdulla Dand (Bull) ,Jahnam Gar (Made for Hell),Abdulla Gandhi (Son of Gandhi) as people dislike his Anti Kashmir Policy.^[1]

It is mentioned in the article that Sheikh Abdullah was alarmed by the turn of events post 1971 fearing Balkanistion of India and Pakistan.How real was this threat.The following quote from the lead article "Indira Gandhi: Death in the Garden" of Time Magazine of 12 November 2004(http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,926929-10,00.html) refers to this threat:

"Referring to the murder of Mrs. Gandhi, a British Cabinet member said flatly, "It is a great tragedy that could lead to the breakup of the Indian nation." At the moment the separatist pressure is coming from Punjab; at other times it has been centered in Assam to the northeast, in Jammu and Kashmir to the north, and elsewhere.

If Rajiv can preserve the country's unity and prevent undue bloodshed over the next year, his future as Indira's successor will probably be assured. If he fails, and the union begins to crumble, the likeliest eventuality would be a military takeover. Since independence, India's generals have prided themselves on their respect for democracy in the British tradition, looking askance at their politicized counterparts in Pakistan. But if the alternative were to be the disintegration of the republic, they would probably not hesitate to act..." Later the writer remarks that now "The possibility is remote" but as every student of history knows remote is not impossible.

taffazull (talk) 07:55, 8 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Immediately after coming back to Kashmir with a Masters degree in Chemistry from Aligarh Muslim University Sheikh Abdullah joined government service as a science teacher in a government school from which job had to resign later because of his political activities.One of his former students describes his impression of him as a teacher in the following words"...tall,slenderly built.fez-capped master in science (who) would render many a scientific term into everyday Kashmiri so as to ensure quick and easy comprehension by the young captive audience before him. He exuded awe among the students,not only by his censorious and rigorous sense of discipline,but also by his stature,physical and academic,not only vis-a-vis the students but even in comparision to other members of the teaching establishment."(M.J.Akbar: India The Seige Within ISBN-10: 0140075763 Penguin )

taffazull (talk) 10:01, 16 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The agitation of the workers of the Government Silk Factory which so affected Sheikh Abdullah deserves a closer look. Ravinderjit Kaur has made an indepth study of the files of that period in the State Archives and material on record in the files reveals how the police and the District Administration twisted facts to justify the massacre of innocent boys as young as eight to ten years old employed in the factory all of whom were Muslims(In those days young boys were sent out to work as children in general and Muslim children in particular had little opportunity to go to school).

The workers of the factory had gone on strike as far back as the 26th of March 1920 and had submitted this representation to the Chief Minister Raja Hari Singh(who became the Maharajah on the death of Maharaja Partap Singh in 1926). “By the direction of the late Director and by the Governor of His Highness Maharaja Sahib Bahadur and his Minister our daily rates had been increased upto annas four and now owing to the scarcity of all things we were in great hope, that we shall get progress in the rate as deceased,Incharge Director was efforting about this.Now-a-days when public coolies are getting high rates and all officers and common servants of the State are granted high rates and all officers and common servants of the State are granted allowances by the State for the famine, we are the unlucky employees of the Silk Factory to whom instead of increasing rates decreased by the present Incharge Director,for which we submitted him a request,he answered that ‘ I will beat you,if you will come to my office,for this case and I will close the factory for ever’… If the State will not decide our case,we shall be obliged to leave the work of this factory praying for your long life and prosperity”(Jammu and Kashmir Archives File No.26 of 1920).Reeling silk was the job of skilled workers and hence the reference to increase in wages of unskilled coolies while the worker's wages had been reduced. From the above representation it seems that because of the efforts of a former Director the wages of the workers had been increased to four annas per diem but after his (sudden) death some person whom the workers detested was appointed as an Incharge Director.The repeated use of the term Incharge Director shows that the workers considered him unfit for the post and it also appears that he was a bully and as per another representation was also corrupt as the workers complained of being forced to pay bribes to officers of the Factory out of their meager wages. On July 19 1924 the Deputy Director Sericulture lodged a complaint with the District Magistrate in which he alleged that “The labourers(meaning workers) gave out open threats that they would set fire to the houses of some officers of the Department and would not spare their persons too if they could catch hold of them.”He further alleged that ”All Communications of the office with outside were cut off and it became impossible even to send a message to the District Magistrate or the Police.” Following the complaint and taking into view the urgency of taking action as requested by the Deputy Director Sericulture military troops were ordered to be moved to the Silk Factory on 20th of July. The Colonel Commandant was requested to place the Infantry and Cavalry in immediate charge of the factory.Twenty five of the total of twenty seven persons who seem to have been involved in this crisis were arrested and four of them were lodged in Police station Shergarhi while the rest were taken to Central Jail.Next day on the 21st of July about two thousand persons gathered outside Shergarhi Police Station demanding release of the arrested persons. The police on the pretext that the protestors were trying to force their way into the police station opened fire on them killing ten of them on the spot and injuring twenty as per the official version. The wounded were taken to the mission hospital by the local people while the dead bodies of those killed were taken away by the police in a lorry.(National Archives of India,Foreign Department,Political,1924 No19(2)) Some people even sent two telegrams to the Viceroy clarifying that the protest was against bribes demanded by the officials of the factory from the poor workers (Because of the lopsided employment policy of the State Government the workers were all Muslims and the employees Hindus as Muslims were practically excluded from government jobs. Thus the word Hindus in the telegrams refers to government officials and Muslims/Mussulmans to workers). The two telegrams stated that:

1.Kashmiri Silk Factory Mussalman coolies(meaning workers) approached of bribery of Hindus.Instead of consideration about thirty imprisioned,rest marshaled out.Deaths yet unknown,wounded about sixty. Maharaja tries to hush up whole case.Kindly soon release from tyranny”

2.“Muslims of Srinagar respectfully invite your excellency prompt action to ruthless and most inhuman charges of cavalry amongst the innocent, armless(meaning unarmed) and quiet(meaning peaceful) workers of the Silk Factory including children aged eight to ten years at the instance of the callous hearted Governor and Revenue Member culmination of the show of brute force has been reached,terrorism is the order of the day.Here Mussalmans are panic stricken.They earnestly implore your excellency to deliver the long agonizing poor but loyal Muslims of Kashmir from present Dire Calamity.” .(National Archives of India,Foreign Department,Political,1924 No19(2))

Even today police allegations unless proven in a court of law are not given any credence but the police reports in the case of the “Silk Factory Agitation” were so incredible that not only were they never brought before a court but were hidden from public view in secret files serving only to justify the police action and sweep the allegations of bribery and corruption of the employees of the Silk Factory under the carpet. The police reports in the Secret Abstracts of Intelligence and Confidential weekly Diary of the Superintendent of Police Srinagar of 1924 made the far fetched allegation that the workers of the Silk Factory were communal supporters of the Khilafat Movement. Allegations were made that the Muslim workers of the Silk Factory formed a ring against Hindu employees of the factory in general and the Hindu Filature Officers in particular. It was also alleged that they demanded that the Hindu employees be removed and replaced by Muslims.The police further alleged that about one hundred Muslims started conspiring against the Hindu employees of the factory at Rambagh Srinagar. It was also alleged that some Ex-Inspector Atta Mohammed had gone to the Director warning that if the Hindu employees are not removed the workers would go on strike. Thus the police by these baseless allegations,none of which were ever brought to a court, tried to project the protest against corruption by the workers of the Silk Factory as a communal incident and took no cognizance of the serious allegations of corruption in the Silk factory that was made by it’s workers. (Extracts from the confidential dairy of the Superintendent of Police Srinagar period ending 24th May 1924, Jammu and Kashmir Archives File No.B of 1924/ The secret abstract of intelligence for the year 1924,Jammu and Kashmir Archives,File No.B of 1924.)

In 1924 the Dogra Sabha in Jammu and Yuyak Sabha in Kashmir were agitating against the employment of Non Kashmiris in government services as they felt that it was responsible for creating unemployment among the educated youth of their communities. Gwash Lal Koul the fire brand leader of Hindu Yuvak Sabha a few months later threatened the government with dire consequences if it did not agree to their demands.This was a period when Maharajah Partap Singh had been effectively divested of his power and power was transferred to a council headed by the Senior Member(Chief Minister) Raja Hari Singh (who later became the Maharaja on the death of Partap Singh) but was still unsure of his power.In 1924 June the Resident Sir John Wood directed Maharaja Pratap Singh to abstain from the meetings of the council and leave Raja Hari Singh to preside over the council.Mr.B.J.Glancy(See below) was also appointed as a member(Minister)of the council.(Ravinderjit Kaur Political Awakening In Kashmir,p108) These factors along with the allegations of corruption in the Silk Factory have to be considered in assessing the reasons for the unwarranted show of force by the administration for it would have weakened the case of Hari Singh for appointment as the next Maharajah.

Sir John Wood the then British Resident in Kashmir refused to buy the police view that the agitation was of a communal nature. In his letter to the Political Secretary to Government of India he wrote: “It will be desirable to remedy any real grievances and to promote some of the educated Musalman workers to posts of responsibility”(Johnwood to J.P.Thompson 4th August 1924,National Archives of India,Home Department,Political,1924,File No:25,Fortnightly Report for Second half of August) Thus the Resident was of the view that to prevent future unrest the grievances regarding corruption should be addressed and the lopsided policy of the State Ruler in appointing only Non Muslims to responsible posts should be rectified by appointing educated workers of the Silk Factory to responsible posts. Mr.B.J.Glancy the president of the grievances commission established in 1931 must have kept this in view when making his recommendations about giving special attention to recruitment of Muslims in Government jobs.Indeed a Muslim Hakim Ali B.A. P.B.D.S(Milan)was appointed as an officer in the factory in 1930 six years after the Resident's suggestion and rose to the top post of Director of the Sericulture Department of which the factory was a part in July 1942

The agitation in the summer of 1924 by the workers of the Government Silk Factory is a landmark in the struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir towards greater empowerment under Maharajah’s rule. It was the first time in the history of the Dogra Rule that ordinary workers raised their voice against corruption and denial of rights by their employers. This was also the first time that the protest was suppressed by an inordinate show of force and use of firearms against unarmed workers in which many workers were shot dead and their bodies taken away instead of being handed over to their families for decent burial.

It was also the first time when the police tried to give a communal color to the workers agitation by trying to show it as a Hindu Muslim conflict but this allegation could never stand up in a court of law and indeed was so unfounded that the police kept it out of public view in their secret files.

While the agitation was suppressed the pent up resentment remained simmering below the surface as there was no educated leader among the workers who could lead the agitation to a proper conclusion.

Seven years later in 1931 a group of highly educated Muslim leaders including Molvi Abdul Rahim M.A.(Phil)LL.B,Sheikh Abdullah M.Sc.(Chemistry) and Chaudhary Ghulam Abbas B.A.LL.B chanellized this discontent to lead an uprising demanding greater empowerment for the people of the State(Syed Taffazull Hussain;Sheikh Abdulla-A Biography). Again on the 13th of July 1931 many protestors were killed in police firing and the police again tried to give it a communal color but this time the attempt was thwarted by the above mentioned leaders who established a political party the Muslim Conference and forced the government to set up a grievances commission under the presidency of J.B. Glancy which not only opened up the doors of education and employment to Muslims but also led to the first ever establishment of an elected legislative assembly the Praja Sabha(Syed Taffazull Hussain;Sheikh Abdullah-A Biography).

The 21st of July deserves to be celebrated along with the 13th of July as a landmark in the struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir State for greater empowerment and Democracy. It is indeed an important landmark in the struggle for their rights by workers all over the world

• Sheikh Abdullah;M.Y>Taing(1985) Atish-e-Chinar (Urdu) Shaukat Publications Srinagar
• Ravinderjit Kaur(2006) Political Awakening In Kashmir.A.P.H.Publishing Company New Delhi. The references to State and National archives are from this book.
• Syed Taffazull Huussain(2009) Sheikh Abdullah-A Biography(2009).Full text of the updated 2013 Edition is available free at books.google.com
• Jammu and Kashmir State Archives
• National Archives of India

taffazull (talk) 11:07, 27 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

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