'Kashmir Needs A Bal Thackeray'

'Afzal Guru became a victim of Pakistan's conspiracy.'
'He was used as a means, just like all other innocent Kashmiris.'

IMAGE: Polling officials ride a shikara on the Dal Lake in Srinagar, September 19, 2024, as they reach the Zadibal constituency under the 'voting from home' facility for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. Photograph: ANI Photo

As Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com arrives at Mazbug bridge near Doabgah village, an Indian Army hoarding greets him with the slogan, 'Aap Ka Mulk, Aap Ki Fauj, Aap Ka Camp.

Doabgah made it to the headlines when Afzal Guru, a native of this village, was convicted in the Parliament attack case of December 13, 2001 and hanged to death on February 9, 2013, at Tihar jail in New Delhi.

Afzal was buried in Tihar jail but his family could not attend the last rites as the Manmohan Singh government informed them via speed post which did not reach on time.

Eleven years on, Afzal's brother Aijaz Ahmad Guroo has decided to contest the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

AijazAhmadGuroo,left,iscontestingtheelectionsfromSopore,neighbouringDoabgah,afterheformedapoliticaloutfit,theTahreeq-E-Awaam,recently.

Why have you decided to contest elections from Sopore?

I am from Sopore and before militancy broke out in this town in 1989, Sopore was known as mini London.

Unfortunately, things took such an ugly turn for the last 35 years that the condition of this town went from bad to worse. Now, I feel it is time to change things in Sopore.

If I get elected, I will once again make Sopore as a mini London.

Mini London for what?

You know the tragedy of Kashmir is that after Independence no Indian government got into development of this place.

You ask any tourist which are the places he visits in Kashmir and he will give you only three names -- Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg.

Sadly, these three places were only developed by the British when they were ruling us. After Independence, no development took place in Kashmir at other places.

Take where you are standing right now, Sopore. You travel 20 km away from this place and you have Asia's second largest lake, Wular, which no tourists are aware of. Everybody who comes to Kashmir goes to the Dal Lake in Srinagar, but no one comes to Wular Lake.

Again, you have places like the Gurez valley, Lolab valley, Tangdar which are more beautiful than Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg. Unfortunately, no tourist visits these places as either no one knows about them or the government of the day is not interested in promoting these places.

I want to get elected and change the life of the people of Sopore through tourism which is untapped here.

IMAGE: The Wular Lake in Kashmir. Photograph: Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com

But for that you need 5-star hotels and huge investment. Moreover, the power situation is not good in Sopore.

That's my point. Let one 5-star hotel come in Sopore and you will see the change in tourism of north Kashmir.

Nobody invests money here and that is what I want to do after I get elected.

Bring investment to Sopore so that locals get employment and tourism gets a boost.

Today's youth in Sopore are in depression and some of them have committed suicide too because of lack of employment opportunity.

Are you inspired by Engineer Rashid?

No, I am not inspired by Engineer Rashid. If I was, I would have contested from his Awami Ittehad Party. I am not doing that, but contesting on my own party symbol.

Do you feel your brother's death will get you sympathy votes in Sopore?Is that the reason you are contesting the elections?

Not at all, it is outsiders like you or for that matter anyone not from Sopore who knows me as Afzal's brother.

The people of Sopore know me as Aijaz Guroo. I have my own standing and stature in Sopore society.

I am into the contract business of timber and construction. People know me as I have worked for them in the last 10 years after I quit my government job in 2014.

Would you like to comment on your deceased brother Afzal Guru?

Afzal became a victim of Pakistan's conspiracy. He was used as a means, just like all other innocent Kashmiris.

Why have you and Afzal's family never visited his grave in Tihar jail?

Unfortunately, we did, but we were not allowed to go by Tihar jail authorities. We were told that we will have to approach higher courts or take the home ministry's permission to do so.

But when he was hanged and buried in Tihar your family didn't attend the last rites.

Again, the dalals (brokers) who instigated the violence in Sopore pressurised us not to do so. We could have caught a flight to Delhi, but then they intervened and we could not go.

Do you believe in Indian democracy since you are contesting elections?

I do and you see, this is the beauty of Indian democracy. It shows that two brothers cannot be alike, just like me and Afzal.

Everyone asks me a question about Afzal and I respond by stating, two brothers cannot have the same ideology. They are different individuals.

Any Indian leader you admire?

Yes, the late Bal Thackeray of the Shiv Sena. You see his slogan, 'Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra'.

He respected India and then his state Maharashtra.

We in Kashmir need a leader like Bal Thackeray. We should talk in his tone, Jai Hind to be followed by Jai Kashmir.

Your contesting the elections come at a time when your son is in jail in a drugs case.
Did the government pressurise you to contest the elections?

No, it has got nothing to do with my son's case. All I would like to say he was caught wrongly and paid a price for an ongoing property dispute with some powerful people.

What about Afzal Guru's son Ghalib? The last we heard, he was denied a passport.

He is doing his medical degree from Jammu and he is doing well in life.