Gowhar Farooq

The landscape of Kashmir is filled with the blood stains of those who were massacred by India’s military and paramilitary forces. There is a long list of Massacres, the stories of those who fell to the volleys of bullets fired by the forces of oppression and occupation. Gaw Kadal, Hawal, Sopore, Bijbehara, Handwara, Kupwara, Tengpora, Zakoora and Wandhama Massacres are the names that continue to strike our ears and leave a trail of pain and agony. But one of the goriest massacres in the region remains lesser known. The Sailan Massacre in the mountainous region of Surankot and the history behind it is not remembered the way it should have been. Here, we revisit the pages of history and try to tell you the story of this horrendous massacre and the tale of a teenage Mujahid who sacrificed all he had to see our homeland free from the clutches of slavery and subjugation.

In 1996, a group of young boys arrived at Base Camp, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. They were all from the Poonch-Rajouri belt of the other part that is under Indian occupation. Imtiyaz Ahmad (Major Gul), the youngest among them was from Sailan village in Bufliaz block in Poonch district of the occupied region. Poonch has a history of giving birth to brave resistance fighters who fought with unmatched bravery and resilience against the forces of oppression from time to time since 1947 and beyond. After receiving training for some months, the braveheart sneaked back in the occupied part with a mission to fight the oppression perpetrated by Indian military and their lackeys against his people. He turned out to be a nightmare for the whole occupational apparatus and gave them sleepless nights. Zakir, an Indian informer and a militia head in his region had terrorized people by torturing, harassing, destroying properties, demanding free ration from local shopkeepers and forcing people to toe the line of oppressors. He was constantly harassing the families of resistance fighters by subjecting them to every kind of torture in the region. Mujahid Imtiyaz after reaching the area took it upon himself to free his people from this tyranny. But it was not Zakir alone whom he had to fight. The whole Indian military and police in the area were at Zakirs back and they all were accompanying him wherever he went.

However, Imtiyaz was determent to fight them. He had obviously joined armed ranks to fight the whole occupation and it was not something he would be afraid of. After carrying successful operations against Indian military, he now shifted his full attention towards the menace called Zakir. On the morning of August 3, 1998, the air around Behramgala police check post was thick with tension. Zakir and his group stood like predators at the northern edge of Sailan village on the Mughal Road. They were on the hunt for Imtiyaz, yanking passengers from vehicles and scrutinizing them with merciless eyes. Meanwhile, unaware of the storm brewing just kilometers away, Imtiyaz and his comrades enjoyed a moment of tranquility, bathing in the cool waters of the Parnai, a small rivulet flowing serenely between Sailan and Behramgala.

But peace is fleeting in a land overshadowed by conflict. Word reached Zakir of Imtiyaz’s presence. Driven by malice, Zakir and his men commandeered a bus at the check post and forced the driver to head up the road towards the Bafliaz camp, likely to inform the army of their find. However, locals, loyal to Imtiyaz, quickly relayed Zakir’s movements. Forewarned, Imtiyaz and his group seized another local bus and emptied it of all passengers except the driver and conductor, and sped towards Sailan with steely determination.

The dance of fate drew closer as Zakir, now suspecting Imtiyaz’s presence in Sailan, ordered his bus to turn around. The two buses, like rival knights charging towards a final showdown, barreled down the road towards each other. Upper Sailan residents watched with bated breath as Zakir, seated next to his driver, scanned the road with hawk-like intensity. Near the curve of the road by the Bafliaz Bridge, adjacent to the village of Bonikhet, destiny played its hand.

Gunfire erupted like a sudden storm. Zakir, leaping off the bus, fired his pistol wildly as he ran towards the Bafliaz camp. Imtiyaz, embodying justice with great resolve, fired back from his moving bus. The bullets found their mark, and Zakir, the embodiment of evil, fell to the ground. Imtiyaz and his men, driven by a thirst for justice, leaped off their bus and unleashed a final volley, ensuring the tyrant’s end.

The villagers of Sailan, their hearts pounding, witnessed not just a gunfight but a symbolic battle where justice emerged victorious and reinforced the timeless truth that tyranny, no matter how barbaric, cannot withstand the resolve of those who fight for justice.

THE MASSACRE
Imtiyaz’s life was irrevocably changed on the night of August 3, 1998, when the Indian Army, along with their auxiliaries, descended upon the village of Sailan. In a gruesome display of brutality, 19 members of Imtiyaz’s extended family were mercilessly slaughtered. The massacre was meant to serve as a grim warning to those who dared to resist, but for Imtiyaz, it became the catalyst that fueled his unrelenting fight against the occupying forces. His family members were showered with bullets and their bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. Next day when the villagers along with a few survivors from the extended family of Imtiyaz reached the spot, they were shocked to see the level of barbarism. The scene was a macabre tableau of horror. The once serene room had been transformed into a grisly testament to human savagery. They had been hacked and mutilated, their bodies cut to pieces with a brutality that defied comprehension. Arms and legs lay scattered, dismembered from torsos in a grotesque mockery of humanity. Some necks bore the savage marks of hacking, severed nearly to the point of decapitation. The tools of this barbarity—axes, rods, knives—were strewn across the room, each one bearing silent witness to the night’s unspeakable violence.

Among the scattered implements of death, an axe remained gruesomely embedded in the hip of his sister Javaida, a haunting symbol of the unspeakable cruelty that had descended upon them. Shabir, one of the survivors of Sailan Massacre saw his sister Zarina’s stomach hacked. She was pregnant for eight months and her baby’s arm was visible from the bore of her stomach. This was not merely an act of killing; it was an orgy of destruction, a calculated effort to obliterate not just lives but the very essence of human dignity and spirit.

Even after seeing all this, Imtiyaz’s spirit remained unflinching. Born into the mountainous terrain of Jammu and Kashmir, Imtiyaz grew up amidst the whispers of resistance and the harsh realities of occupation. From a young age, he was acutely aware of the cost of resistance. He is the most glaring example of how one should not let the love for family and nears and dears come in the way of resistance. His family’s tragic fate only steeled his resolve. Imtiyaz knew that freedom was not a gift to be bestowed, but a right to be fought for. With this conviction, he threw himself into the struggle with an intensity that left a lasting mark on the resistance movement.

Imtiyaz was a young commander of extraordinary military acumen and strategic prowess. His understanding of guerrilla warfare and his ability to inspire and lead his comrades earned him respect and admiration. The occupying forces feared him, knowing that his presence in the mountains meant that their operations would be met with fierce resistance.

One of Imtiyaz’s most significant victories was the elimination of this notorious informer for the Indian Army known for his ruthless harassment and torture of locals. This informer had silenced many voices through fear and brutality, but Imtiyaz’s tactical genius and resolve put an end to his reign of terror. This act not only avenged the suffering of countless innocents but also sent a powerful message to the occupiers that the spirit of resistance would not be crushed.

Despite the immense personal loss and the constant threat to his own life, Imtiyaz remained steadfast. He was aware of the dangers his continued fight posed to his remaining family members, but his dedication to the cause of freedom never saw any signs of fatigue. Even after the Sailan massacre, when the pain of losing 19 family members was fresh and raw, Imtiyaz chose to stay in the battlefield, fighting against the forces of oppression with an unbreakable spirit.

After the massacre of his family, his supreme commander, recognizing the perilous situation, ordered him to return to the base camp in Azad Kashmir, the free part of Kashmir. Imtiyaz refused. He requested to remain on the front lines, understanding that his presence was crucial for the morale and effectiveness of the resistance.
He knew that his fight was not just for himself, but for the future generations who deserved to live in a free and just Kashmir.

Imtiyaz’s struggle continued until his last breath. He was martyred while fighting Indian occupational army in a fierce gunfight in the area. His story is a poignant reminder that the path to freedom is fraught with sacrifices. Resistance against military occupation comes at a high cost, and Imtiyaz paid that price with his life. Yet, his legacy lives on, a testament to the power of conviction and the unyielding human spirit.

The story of Imtiyaz is not just a story of individual bravery; it is a chapter in the larger narrative of Kashmir’s fight for freedom. It underscores the harsh truth that freedom is never given on a platter. It must be earned through relentless struggle, unwavering dedication, and, often, immense sacrifice. Imtiyaz’s life and death exemplify the courage required to stand against tyranny and the enduring hope that one day, the dawn of freedom and justice will break over the land of Kashmir. The Indian military after the martyrdom of Imtiyaz and dozens of fighters like him, managed to gain control over the region and forced people to remain silent. This silence continued for years with barely any signs of resistance/resistance operations against occupying forces in the area. But now, the forceful silence has broken and resistance is back in the region. Since past more than three years, the armed resistance fighters have carried out enormously successful operations against the occupying forces and inflicted heavy casualties on them.  As I am writing this, I am hearing the news that more than five Indian occupying soldiers including an officer have been killed in an ambush by resistance fighters in Doda district of the region. The mountainous region of Jammu and Kashmir is once again echoing with the sounds of defiance. Resistance against falsehood (Batil) will continue until the victory of truthfulness (Huq).