Kashmir: From Eid to a nightmare
Posted on 17. Aug, 2011 by Assabah Khan in Kashmir
“We were engrossed in merry-making of Eid. A pall of gloom descended when one Major Punia of 17 Jat Regiment and two surrendered militants Bashir Ahmad alias Bashir Langoo and Khaliq Rai from Lethpora Pampore barged into our house at 10.00 PM on the intervening night of Feb 1 and 2, 1998 and dragged my husband Advocate Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Regoo to one of the rooms of our house.
By Assabah Khan
From Srinagar
Massoda Parveen from Chandhara Pampore sits in a quiet room where she is waiting for justice since February 2, 1998 at the hands of Indian state for the poignant death of her husband whose body was cut into pieces by an axe by the members of Special Task Force, a wing of J&K police which is used to counter ‘Civilian Unrest’ in Kashmir Valley.
Masooda says, “It was the third day of Eid-ul-Fitr in February, 1998. My husband, his three sisters and I were sitting in the kitchen of our residence in Chandhara Pampore.
“We were engrossed in merry-making of Eid. A pall of gloom descended when one Major Punia of 17 Jat Regiment and two surrendered militants Bashir Ahmad alias Bashir Langoo and Khaliq Rai from Lethpora Pampore barged into our house at 10.00 PM on the intervening night of Feb 1 and 2, 1998 and dragged my husband Advocate Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Regoo to one of the rooms of our house. All four of us were aghast and I could hear the screams of my husband. After a while they left along with my husband. They had brought an axe with them. We checked the rooms they were full of blood which was probably oozing out of my husband’s wounds.”
“I lodged an FIR next day Vide No: 98PC/0/98/HT/GS in the Police Station of Chandhara Pampore and demanded my husband’s whrer abouts. In the evening of Feb 2, 1998, I was handed over pieces of the body of my husband. The then ASI was Tahir Kausar and Special Task Force SHO was S M Jindra. Superintendent of Police (SP) was Mushtaq Sadiq and Member Legislative Assembly (MLA) was Mushtaq Kuchey.
The then Divisional Commisioner Kashmir Masood Samoon promised a job to the wife of deceased Mohiu-d-ud-din Regoo under public pressure and a cash of Rs 50,000. The residents of Pampore blocked the roads and called for a strike when my husband’s body pieces were handed over.
“To my utter surprise police lodged in the FIR that my husband Advocate Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Regoo who was also a saffron businessman as well, was a militant whose body was recovered from Ustarvan, jungle area of Pampore while diffusing an IED (Improvised Explosive Device),” she said.
Masooda said, “I wrote to the then Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani about the file of my husband. I was trying to seek clarification when did my husband crossed the Line of Control and the militant activities which he had taken part? Till date I have not received any reply. Also why government of India did not bring any IED experts to diffuse the mine? How was my husband, who as per government’s version was an ill-trained, an anti-national person.”
“I filed a case in the Supreme court of India bearing Registration No: Writ Petition (Civil) 275 of 1999 titled Masooda Parveen versus Union of India. The petition was rejected by Supreme Court of India in a judgement delivered on May 2, 2007.”
The rejection of Masooda Parveen’s case is a strong signal to Kashmiri community that they should not seek justice from Indian courts. Also it would have been equivalent to admitting torture of civilians of Kashmir at the hands of Indian state. The government of India is signatory to UN Convention on torture but has not ratified it so far.
Masooda Parveen wants to make a special mention and express strong gratitude in her story about President Bar Association Kashmir Mian Abdul Qayoom helped her son Farkhand Murtaza to get a passport so that he could pursue his education MSc Marketing in Hudders University in London. Indian authorities were hell bent not to give passport to my son. It was Mian Qayoom who made tireless efforts for six months continuously and did not accept even a single penny from us to help my son get his passport. His whole future would have been destroyed.
Masooda said, “I don’t want to paint black and white image of Indians. There are lawyers like Shamoona from Supreme Court of India who helped me file my case in United Nations. To me she seems an angel.”
“I am harassed by National Conference activists in my area. From Chandhara I had to shift to Pampore Town. They are directing local people to create all sorts of hurdles in my day to day life. I want to plead my case in Geneva UN myself but they are the ones who are directing Delhi not to issue me passport. I applied for passport twice but my application has been rejected twice.”
“My hope in life are my sons Sakib Murtaza, who is topper and gold Medalist in Forestry Division of Wadura Sopore and Farkhand Mohi-ud-din. We as a family will never give up our struggle of justice against Indian state. I am fighting it for last 13 years so that no other woman’s husband is picked up by Indian forces or STF and later labeled as a militant. No other woman is handed over pieces of her husband’s body and she is left all alone to be harassed by workers of National Conference.”
Assabah Khan has done her Post Graduation in Mass Communication & Journalism holds Diploma in creative writing in English, Professional Development studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution and Certificate in Human Rights.
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Assabah Khan
A Bloody Nightmare in Indian Kashmir « Area 14/8
18. Aug, 2011
[...] Opinion Maker Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Buzz it up Share on Linkedin Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Tell a friend CommentsPowered by Facebook Comments Oppression A Bloody Nightmare in Indian Kashmir, ASI Tahir Kausar Special Task Force SHO S M Jindra. Superintendent of Police (SP) Mushtaq Sadiq Member Legislative Assembly (MLA) Mushtaq Kuchey, Chandhara Pampore, Massoda Parveen from Chandhara Pampore UK’s Battered Social Fabric & London Riots » [...]
Mehdi
18. Aug, 2011
Dear Memsahib
re: "The rejection of Masooda Parveen’s case is a strong signal to Kashmiri community that they should not seek justice from Indian" -
I think it is applicable to ALL in India except the sick nazi mentality of the caste systems top layer – see below
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/7413982.stm
Indian town's sex abuse claims
————————————————————-
I wrote to the Indian government protesting about it and they had the audacity to say that I should pay them first.
For what?
If I paid the courts would they then investigate?
Never received reply
Jonathan Azaziah
18. Aug, 2011
I pray that your Ramadan is going beautiful akhi. I just read Kashmir: From Eid To A Nightmare and it was really heartbreaking
Alhamdulillah for Opinion Maker, otherwise these stories wouldn't be available in English for the world to see.
May ALLAH (SWT) fill your days with light and mercy as the holy month winds down.
Qader Khan
02. Dec, 2011
Fear not, O brothers! Operation Al-Boraq is in progress, the hour of Pakistan's glory, and the utter defeat of the USA-ISRAEL-INDIA axis is near! Our engineers have been tirelessly working in extreme heat deep beneath the Mexican-American Sonoran desert border to construct tunnels through which we have supplied suitcase-sized nuclear bombs to the faithful mujahedeen. Our faithful mujahideen in India, Israel and the USA have also been issued scores of suitcase-sized nuclear bombs to lie in wait for a signal from Islamabad. In phase 1 of Operation Al-Boraq, at the appointed sunset hour, upon a signal from Islamabad, scores of suitcase nuclear bombs will be detonated simultaneously in India, destroying for ever that den of infidels. In phase 2 of Opearation Al-Boraq, exactly 6 hours later, when night falls upon Israel, our mujahedeen shall detonate the nuclear charges in Haifa, Tel-Aviv and other cities, destroying for ever that country of sinners. 6 more hours later, Phase 3 of Operation Al-Boraq shall involve detonation of the suitcase nukes simultaneously throughout the major cities in the USA. Thus, within 18 hours, the world shall be rid forever of the 3 major centers of anti-Islamic thought, and Islam shall rule the world, with Pakistan as its leader! Nobody will know where the bombs came from, so there will be no fear of reprisal in any shape or form. Yes, no doubt a few good Mussalmans shall die in the process, but they are guaranteed heaven unlike the infidels. For the true believers there is never death; only heaven & its rewards.