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Home Pakistan and Ahmadis How Ahmadis Helped Kashmiris …
How Ahmadis Helped Kashmiris and Battle for Kashmir

Background:

From the very beginning of his rule, in 1840s Maharajah Gulab Singh imposed a body of the harshest regulations upon the people of Kashmir and reduced them in effect to a state of humiliating bondage. He taxed severely everything needed for the support of human life, with the exception only of water and air. Even grass, growing free, on which the people were wont to pasture their cattle was subjected to a heavy tax. Within a year of the Treaty of 1848, Lord Lawrence, the then Viceroy addressed a severe remonstrance but without any effect.

In July 13, 1931, the situation became so critical the then Maharajah resorted to brutal force and seventy two Kashmiris were killed and hundreds wounded.

All India Kashmir Committee

Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud Din Mahmud Ahmad, the Head of Ahmadiyya was watching the situation with a great deal of pain, he invited on July 25,1931 a dozens or so leading Muslims and he stressed upon them that some thing should be done to tell the helpless Kashmiris that there are people in India who are mindful of their lot.

It was decided to set up an All India Kashmir Committee. Once the Committee was set up, Dr Mohammad Iqbal who himself was an eminent Kashmiri proposed that Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad be elected the President of the Committee, this divine leader did not want to enter the politics and strongly disapproved the suggestion, but then Dr Iqbal pointed out that Ahmadiyya Movement had its disposal a strong organization and plenty of workers and resources, but in view of persistency of the members of the Committee and the strong urge to go to the rescue of the people this divine figure overcame his reluctance.

To raise funds for the Kashmiris, Hadhrat Sahib imposed a cess on members of his own movement and a lot was done.

After a year, Hadhrat Sahib urged the Committee to elect a new President but Dr Iqbal with the support of the Kashmir Committee urged Hadhrat Sahib to carry on.

During this period, a pseudo religious party under the name of Ahrars (Free) came into being, freely funded by Indian Congress party, to exploit every situation to their advantage and oppose the unity of the Indian Muslims under the Muslim League.

The Ahrars soon realised that Hadhrat Sahib was on way to achieving a status with the Maharajah and the Indian Viceroy, they were disturbed.

Before the resignation of the Presidency of the Kashmir Committee by Hadhrat Sahib, Sir Sikander Hayat, the then Panjab Chief Minister arranged a meeting with Ch Afzal Haq the then President of Ahrars and Hadhrat Sahib.

Mr Haq exploded at the meeting and said: “As Ahmadiyya Community had opposed him in the election to the Panjab Legislative Council, the Ahrars would crush the Ahmadiyya Movement.”

Hadhrat Sahib simply calmly told him: “The Movement is founded under divine command. If this claim is true, as surely it was, neither the Ahrars nor any other organizations or combination of organizations, nor any government would have the power to crush the movement.”


Footnote: How true it was, nobody knows now where Ahrars are, and the movement is now found in more than 150 countries of the World.

Kashmir Dispute in United Nations

It should not come as a matter of surprise, that Ahrars were to be found nowhere when the Kashmir Dispute went to the United Nations.

It was an Ahmadi - Ch Zafrulla Khan who from 1948 to 1954 fought for Kashmir in the Security Council and the UN resolutions on Kashmir are an eloquent testimony of the fight that he fought.

The sudden eruption on Kashmir issue, within months of the establishment of Pakistan, was a great drain on the resources of Pakistan.

Furqan Battalion

The same divine figure responded by raising Furqan Battalion and it was assigned a sector on Kashmir front.

The Commander in Chief of the Pakistan army paid a tribute to the Furqan force:

“You were assigned an important sector on the battle front. The trust reposed in you was fully justified by your services. The enemy was much superior in air and land, but in spite of the preponderance you did not yield an inch of the land. You performed the task very well.”
Treacherous Ulema

How the Ulema helped the Kashmir cause, one has to quote only the Great Moulana Moudoodi, the great Amir of Jamat Islami as quoted by Sardar Shaukat Hayat in his book ‘The Nation that lost it soul’:

"I conveyed the message of Quaid Azem to him requesting him to pray as well as support Pakistan's cause. Moulana replied: "How could he pray for “NA - PAKISTAN” (unclean Pakistan) How could there be a Pakistan till the whole of India had been converted to Islam. Later the same Moulana beseeched for my help as I was a Minister in Panjab cabinet to rescue him from non Muslims of the area which task was performed by sending Pakistani troops. On reaching Pakistan, he issued an edict (Fatwa) against the "Mujahids" (fighters involved in Kashmir war) involved in Kashmir's Jihad, saying that they would not be martyrs but would be dying the death of a dog because no Islamic State had declared Jihad."

What a contribution to Kashmir war efforts by "a great oracle of Islam"?

Lasting Place for an Ahmadi in the hearts of Muslims

When the partition of India was to take place in 1947, the Lord Mountbatten set up a Boundary Commission to determine the new boundaries of two independent states of India and Pakistan. This Commission was headed by Sir Radcliffe. The Congress party of India had already "bought" Lord Mountbatten by naming him the first Governor General of India.

Quaid e Azam was fully aware of the great stakes, that the Boundary Commission had for Pakistan. The main question was how to divide Panjab into two - one going to India and the other to Pakistan.

Mr Jinnah selected the best legal brain - an Ahmadi - Ch Zafrulla Khan.

The aggressive and forceful arguments that Ch Zafrulla marshalled in presentation of the case evoked widespread praises.

A week before Pakistan came into being, in a letter dated August 8, 1947 by the then President of the Punjab Muslim League to Ch Zafrulla, Iftikhar Husain Khan, Nawab of Mamdot wrote :

“Now that the Boundary Commission has concluded its hearings.

I wish to express deep sense of gratitude which I and all other Muslims of Panjab feel towards you.

Your unremitting toil in collection of material, your brilliant presentation of our case and your profound interpretation of law and history have won universal admiration.

In this most critical hour of our history you have rendered an inestimable service to the Millat and created a lasting place in the hearts of all Muslims. We can never forget how willingly you agreed to interrupt your important discussions in London, and to return and fulfil this private mission. The knowledge that your zeal was inspired solely by your love for Islam fill our hearts with pride and gratitude.”

The Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan, Mr Justice Muhammad Munir, who was also a member of the Boundary Commission, in his report, commonly known as Munir Report on 1953 civil disturbances, says:

“The President of this Court (court inquiring into the 1953 disturbances) who was a member of the Commission considers it his duty to record the gratitude to Ch Zafrulla Khan for valiant fight he put up for Gurdaspur. This is apparent from the record of the boundary Commission. For the selfless services rendered by him to the Muslim community, it is shameless ingratitude for anyone to refer to Ch Zafrulla Khan in a manner in which he has been referred by certain parties before this court.”

(Munir report 197)

Copyright © 1997 New Canada and RAIN Service
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