Mothers have always played a sacred role in human development .Motherhood requires incredible demands of patience, selflessness, unparalleled kindness and walking the way of the tremendous hardships. Those actions are accomplished only through the supplying of the mercy of God as He strengthens the hands of mothers to the task.
In Kashmir the holy institution of motherhood has been brutalized on account of prevailing violence for over past two decades. We visit some of the war affected mothers and they revealed their pain to our team.
Details:
Dilshada, Slain Sopore Militant’s Mother
Lashkar-e-Toiba’s Divisional Commander Muzamil Amin Dar’s Mother Dilshada is in deep pain over the loss of his son who was killed recently in an encounter at Sopore . She terms sheer “Police Brutality” responsible for his son turning into a militant
Dilshada States -“Muzamil was a Kind Soul and religious boy. He used to spend most of his days at maternal home. Throughout his life he always wanted to serve the society with his own efforts. We used to give him money for eatables; but he used to collect that money to buy Books; both religious and literature.
I cannot forget the day that changed my whole life and especially the life of my son. That day will always haunt my mind. That day some unknown person threw some bag inside our lawn and i didn’t knew what was inside that Bag, and the moment a picked it up and threw it inside a drench, a huge number of Army men along with SoG entered my house and started inquiring about the bag. I immediately replied that some unknown persons threw it inside our lawn and i have thrown it inside the drench, which they later recovered. The incident didn’t end there. They brought some locals and started searching our house, at that time i was all alone at home. They broke our wardrobes and also took away Gold Ornaments. Hearing this Muzamil also came running back home and even though many people told him not to go but he said,” i have to go because my Mother is all alone there and i cannot leave her alone.” The moment he came, he was brutally thrashed by the Security forces and they even fractured his fingers.
Later they took my son along with them and I started running after the vehicle. Also there were some of them who even said about conducting a fake encounter of my son by putting some gun powder over his clothes. But later they took him away in their vehicle. The very next day was Eid and we went up to the camp and begged before them that whatever happened by all incidental and they are innocent. Finally they decided to leave him. For continuous Eight days they used to take him along with all the male members of our family in their camp. The Police official at that time literally abused us and tortured us a lot.
After more than 6 days they released everyone but not my husband and my Son Muzamil and later shifted then to Sub-jail Baramulla. The remained jailed from 17 November to ending March. It was during that period they booked my son under Public Safety Act and was taken to Kupwara Jail. They took my Husband for Police remand but eventually they met with an accident and he was admitted to Soura Hospital. We remained for eight days in Hospital and after he recovered he was send back home but my Son was languishing in Jail for no crime. We used to go to Kupwara Jail to meet him. Infact while he was in Sub-jail Baramulla, he gave me a list of Books and told me to bring all those books from his room. So it was in continuation to that we used to give him those books and he even opened a Library in Baramulla Sub-jail. After he was shifted to Kupwara, we used to visit him every day and every time we visited him, he used to give us a list of Books, and not a single time he asked for any special Dish or any other thing apart from Religious and literature Books. During that period some posts for Theatre Technician were announced and we also applied for him. He then attended the interview from Kupwara Jail and with the grace of Allah, while he was in Jail he also got appointed for the Post.
Finally he was shifted from Kupwara Jail to CIK Humhama and later he was released. After being released he went to the concerned Office to collect his Appointment Order but they used to delay the process. His father also told him that maybe they will demand some money to give the appointment order to which he strictly replied, “If i had to give some corruption for the order, i would better leave it there.” But with the Grace of Allah he later got the appointment Letter. But the sphere of torture never left him even after that. My son was a man of principles and never had he used wrong means and ways to achieve his goals.
The brutalities of men in uniform especially the Special Operations Wing (SOG) of Jammu & Kashmir Police is forcing many boys to pick up guns. May almighty Allah crush these “Inhuman and Brutal People.”
Dilshada revels that her son also dreamed of constructing a Maternity hospital wherein all the staff would be women so that chastity and honour of women can be protected.”
Dilshada further adds- “The personal of J&K police, SoG and Army are cowards as they are taking the family members of militants as hostages; torturing and kidnapping them so that they can pressurize the militants and on contrary lack courage to fight. Only thing that men in uniform know is to hurl utter vulgar abuses and torture.” They used to Torture my son both physically and mentally to force him to become “An Informer” which he declined and this turning down led to great torture which he suffered and turned him into Jihadi activities.
Zaiba-Mother of Hotel Employee
Last month Farooq Ahmad an employee of Silver Star Hotel got killed in a gun battle between militants and Army. According to police Farooq was killed when militants opened indiscriminate firing on an Army convoy near Silver Star hotel near Lasjan on Parimpora-Panthachowk bye-pass road.
Farooq Ahmad was from a poor family of Laryal Tral in Pulwama District. His parents Ghulam Nabi Bhat and Zaiba have four children, two sons and two daughters. Out of two daughters only one is married were as the other three children that is Farooq Ahmad, his elder brother Rafiq Ahmad also an employee in the same Hotel and his younger sister were living along with their parents. Farooq and Rafiq used to be away from home for months for their job.
Farooq was working in Silver Star for more than five years. Her Mother Zaiba is in deep shock and whenever somebody visit to inquire about the death of her son Farooq, she turns pale and starts asking the person; what has happened to my Son?
Same was the situation when we entered the newly constructed small house but without doors/windows and even proper matting. As we asked Zaiba about her son she started murmuring- What happened to my son? Where is he? And then suddenly she bursts in tears.
Zaiba while revealing her pain said, “My son was innocent I don`t know what happened to him, but I have lost my son he was my only hope. My son was very gentle and he choose to work outside village because he was so afraid of the situation here due to militancy that he decided to move out of village and work in Srinagar. I don`t know what happened to him.”
Zaiba and her family is so shocked by this incident that they now feel very unsecure about Rafiq Ahmad, who is now only surviving son of this family. We are very poor people but I do not want my son to work there further more. I would prefer to die of starvation but cannot see my child in danger”.
On asking her about the help from Hotel owner or Government, Zaiba said, “No one has given anything to us up till now, I have lost my son ; what can be its compensation? Though at the time of her death Hotel Owner and a local MLA came to our home but there was no help from anyone. Even on this Eid when we were in grief no one from Hotel Management came at least to see us.”
Zaiba while revealing her pain said, “My son was innocent I don`t know what happened to him, but I have lost my son he was my only hope. My son was very gentle and he choose to work outside village because he was so afraid of the situation here due to militancy that he decided to move out of village and work in Srinagar. I don`t know what happened to him.”
Sita Kaur, Mother of slain Baramulla Policeman
Dalbir Singh was posted at Police Lines Pulwama; however he was regulating traffic at the busy Rajpora Chowk on July 3, 2012, when a pistol wielding person fired at him from a very close range at around 3 PM, injuring him critically,
When the constable was immediately rushed to SMHS Hospital for treatment; however he succumbed to his injuries there
Tears keep continuously pouring from the eyes of aged mother of Dilbar Singh,Sita Kaur as we visit the mother at Guhan Village, Baramulla. She in a heart rending mode narrates her miserable tale-“My world has been shattered since the death of my youngest child and I loved him very much. He was very loyal to his duty and would always be eager to attend the duty .He was 17 years old when he joined the Jammu& Kashmir Police and served till his death for about 10 years.”
Her mother also terms how a death of single soul in a family destroys the whole family.”My son was married just eight months back before his death. We also tried our level best to get him transferred since for years he served at one place but our efforts did not yield any productive results. Soon after his death her wife left for her home who was tragedy struck. My deceased son was the most dynamic among my five children as he was also quiet handsome and enthusiastic about life.”
Her mother states that the killing of her son has created fear in her heart and in the hearts and minds of entire family.”Since his death I get worried a lot as my other two sons are also working in defence ; one is in army and other in Police.”
She believes that the situation prevailing in Kashmir has destroyed the institution of motherhood and put it in lot of pain and tragedy.”The violent situation prevailing in Kashmir has destroyed the hearts and minds of mothers as at last it is the mother who has to bear the brunt of the tragedy encountered on loss of his son to this cruel conflict. I hope no Kashmiri mother feels the pain of losing her child”.
She broke into tragic emotions several times while revealing her pain to the “Kashmir Scenario Team”.
Tears keep continuously pouring from the eyes of aged mother of Dilbar Singh,Sita Kaur as we visit the mother at Guhan Village, Baramulla. She in a heart rending mode narrates her miserable tale-“My world has been shattered since the death of my youngest child and I loved him very much.
The pain and tragedy of the mothers is same everywhere be it a mother of Militant, Civillian, Policeman. Heart rending scenes and tragic emotions can be seen on the face of every tragedy struck mother of Kashmir.