Maqbool Bhat
| Maqbool Bhat | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 18, 1938 Trehgam, Kupwara District, Jammu and Kashmir, India |
| Died | February 11, 1984 (aged 45) Tihar Jail New Delhi, India |
| Other names | Maqbool Butt,‘Father of the Nation’, ‘The Great Martyr’ and ‘The most inspiring Icon of the ‘National Liberation Movement'. |
| Known for | Co-founder of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front |
Maqbool Bhat (Kashmiri: मक़बूल भट (Devanagari), مقبول بھٹ (Nastaleeq)) (February 18, 1938 – February 11, 1984) was a Kashmiri militant and co-founder of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front.He was hanged on February 11, 1984 in Tihar Jail on the verdict issued by an Indian Court.
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[edit] Biography
On 14 September 1966, Maqbool was the part of JKNLF Militants who ambushed Indian Security Forces. One Militant "Aurangzeb" was killed. Also dead was Amar Chand, an Inspector of the local Crime Branch CID. Maqbool Bhat and Kala Khan were arrested for murder.[1] As, Bhat was also involved in the shootout, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. In 1968, Bhat, along with two others, managed to dig a tunnel under the Srinagar prison, and escaped to Pakistan, where they were briefly arrested.
In 1971,Bhat masterminded the hijacking of an Passenger Airline to Lahore, Pakistan,[2] and the hijackers declared affiliation with JKLF under the leadership of Bhat. The Pakistani authorities then arrested Bhat and a number of others. He was released in 1974, and two years later, Bhat sneaked into India where he was soon captured.
His earlier death sentence was still valid, and he petitioned to the President of India Giyani Zail Singh for clemency on the grounds of an unfair trial. On February 6, 1984, JKLF members murdered the Indian diplomat Ravindra Mhatre, in Birmingham, England. One of their demands was the release of Bhat. After this, his petition for clemency was rejected, and Bhat was executed in the Tihar Jail in New Delhi on February 11, 1984.[3]
[edit] Education
Maqbool Bhat did his early schooling in Trehgam, later he joined St. Joseph College, Baramulla. He studied History and political science and later joined a privately owned school in Islamabad (Anantnag). Maqbool crossed LoC and went to study law followed by journalism at Peshawar University. He joined a weekly magazine Injam as a subeditor.
[edit] References
- ^ Shamas Rehman, "Maqbool Butt: An overview of his life and struggle"
- ^ "The Rediff Interview/Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Liberation Front Chief Hashim Qureshi". Rediff.com. February 14, 2001. http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/feb/14inter.htm.
- ^ "After 7 Years, India Hangs Kashmir Nationalist". Los Angeles Times. February 12, 1984.
[edit] External links
- "Pakistan Moves to Block March By Supporters of a Free Kashmir". The New York Times. February 11, 1992. http://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/11/world/pakistan-moves-to-block-march-by-supporters-of-a-free-kashmir.html.
Maqbool Butt Foundation http://maqboolbutt.com Kash Tube videos about Maqbool Butt http://jammukashmir.tv/kashtube/maqbool-butt.html
