Fifth column: Remembering Burhan Wani

Three days prior to his murder on July 8, 2016, Burhan Muzaffar Wani – the fabled commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen – sent two of his close friends to the residence of Mushtaq Ahmad Shah, the local legislator of the pro-India People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which rules the disputed Jammu and Kashmir state in collaboration with the Hindu extremist BJP.

The youth downloaded BlackBerry Messenger on Shah’s phone and connected him with Burhan who was in the mountains of Kokernag in the Islamabad district that is now officially known by the Hinduised iteration Anantnag. The name was adopted in the 1930s after the local Hindus – also known as pandits – extracted major connections from the Hindu king by fanning communal tensions and hatred against the majority Muslim community.

Burhan wanted to speak to Mehbooba Mufti, the chief minister, to call for her intervention as he had information that the Indian intelligence agencies were planning an attack on the Hindu pilgrims undertaking the Amarnath Yatra. According to the sources close to Wani, the Indian agencies were planning to kill scores of Hindu pilgrims and blame it on Isis to link the Kashmir Freedom Movement to the international jihadist terror. This was to benefit the BJP in the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh and other provinces. In a tone that sounded alarm, Burhan told Shah that Mufti must act quickly to stop the bloodshed.

Wani had got the inkling several weeks ago as the Indian security agencies were spreading rumours of an imminent ‘terrorist attack’ on the Hindu pilgrims. In early June 2016, K K Sharma, the director general of the paramilitary, Border Security Force (BSF), lent credence to this gossip by citing intelligence reports of planned militant attacks. These claims were widely reported in the Indian media, creating a milieu of fear and hatred.

Sensing trouble, Burhan Wani immediately issued a rebuttal and assured safety to Amarnath pilgrims. During his conversation with Shah, Burhan told him that he was planning to distribute blankets to the Hindu pilgrims along with a brief message to welcome them while reminding them of the atrocities of the Indian occupation on Kashmiris.

Burhan Wani was no ordinary militant commander. Not only did he redefine the concept of defiance against the Indian subjugation, he also displayed extraordinary inventive character to engage the new generation of Kashmiris through his public diplomacy. In addition, he restored the humanity of the Kashmiri freedom fighters – who had lost their identity as saviours and had become part of the oppressive architecture that they sought to challenge. A large segment of the Kashmiri rebels of the 1990s and 2000s engaged in extortion, kidnappings, threats and outright murders against their kindred for they felt overwhelmed by the trappings of an uncontrolled and unsupervised power they wielded.

Aadil Mir, Burhan’s mentor and cousin – after whose death in June 2014 Burhan rose to the ranks of the commander – changed the public perception of resistance fighters and deliberately discouraged the use of violence that had become synonymous with pro-freedom fighters.

Burhan’s reluctance to employ violence can be testified by the fact that there was no police report against him on this account. Soon after Aadil Mir’s death, when a mother-daughter duo who had betrayed Mir’s hideout to the Indian military forces for a paltry sum was apprehended, Burhan released them. He gave them some money and politely counselled them to repent.

In another incident in January 2015, when some members of the Hizbul Mujahideen who belonged to Burhan’s group killed a group of Indian Army soldiers – including Commanding Officer Colonel Munindra Nath Rai –Burhan was devastated. When I paid a visit to Burhan’s family home last year, Muzaffar Wani, his father, told me how Burhan was anguished for days for he felt the deaths could have been avoided and were unnecessary.

That Burhan Wani restored the humanity of Kashmiri freedom fighters is testified to by Mushtaq Shah of the ruling PDP. Although he knew Burhan’s family well because they lived in the same town, his first rendezvous with the militant commander came in early December 2014 during an election campaign. Shah was walking towards an election meeting with two of his security guards when he encountered about a dozen heavily armed pro-freedom fighters commanded by Burhan.

“When I saw them, I nearly had a heart attack,” Shah told me last year. “I was certain our end had come. But I was shocked that not only did Burhan greet me with warmth but he also asked about the welfare of my family.” What surprised Shah more was that Burhan did not even talk about the election campaigning and bid him adieu with a salute. After that, they met several times in person, even for a dinner within Tral, their hometown. From time to time, Burhan would also send him requests of help for the poor and the destitute of the locality.

On July 5, 2016, after his chat with Burhan Wani, Mushtaq Shah sent an urgent message to Mehbooba Mufti. Soon, Shah’s phone was hacked by the security agencies. They also tracked and arrested the two youngsters who had facilitated his conversation with Burhan. They were taken to Cargo, an infamous torture centre near Srinagar International Airport. Once there, they were directed to initiate contact with Burhan in the presence of several intelligence agency sleuths.

Within hours, Burhan’s location was tracked down. In the night intervening July 7 and July 8, the Indian Army walked into a house in Bumdoora village in Kokernag and dragged Burhan out. They immediately started beating him while simultaneously abusing him and his family. After torturing and humiliating him for several hours, he was finally killed in the wee hours of July 8. Burhan carried no weapons at the time.

For his part, Mushtaq Shah – despite being part of the brutal ruling dispensation – remained loyal to Burhan Wani and his memory. When India celebrated Burhan’s death, he publicly declared him a martyr and a pious soul. When I met Shah at his official residence in Srinagar last year, he openly stated that Burhan Wani was a mujahid and a martyr. He described his killing a brutal custodial murder, stopping short of accusing his leader Mehbooba Mufti for the gruesome killing. The rest is history.

Twitter: @murtaza_shibli