Pampore Chalo: A Unity Drive

When I got up this weekend, everything seemed quite usual and lots of ideas were creeping up in my mind and I had a lot of free time. I took my breakfast and started to surf the internet to get the latest news. Just then I heard some shout and slogans outside on the highway and suddenly the "Pampore Chalo" drive flashed in my mind and I realized that this day is really remarkable in the freedom struggle of Kashmir as a leader had laid down his own precious life for the sake of Kashmir. I turned off my computer and quickly got into my bedroom and moved out on verandah from where I could clearly see the highway and mobs of people saying "Hum Kya Chahte Azaadi"....."Azaadi ka matlab kya La ilaha Illalla"....And carrying black and green flags along with them. The carpenters working in my home were eagerly watching this show. i too stood frozen witnessing all this till i could resist no more. I wanted to go outside and see the people from as near as i could. My parents were hesitant to let me outside but at last I was successful in persuading them.

When I moved outside, everything seemed new to me. People stood on the banks of the roads and their gleaming faces clearly showed the proud they felt at that moment. Many men and women were serving water and other eatables happily to the people who were fast moviing in their vehicles towards pampore. People were shooting this sight with their mobile phones and handicams. The spectators to this march were showing "Victory" signs to those in the rally. The words "Naraa e Takbeer Allah u Akbar" and "Nara e Risaalah Yaa Rasul Allah" were echoing in my ears. The vehicles lowered their speed near the army camps and shouted, "Indian Army Go Back" to show their anger and disgust. Many others I heard saying, "Asli mandi Rawalpindi" and "Fruit to bahana hai Rawalpindi jaana hai" . And the march continued peacefully and endlessly till I myself saw more than a lac people according to my personal estimate.

Around 1:30 pm, I got back home and took my lunch. Then the hindu carpenters working in my home enquired about this march from me. I made them understand that this is a peaceful march aiming to show resistance to the Indian Occupation here. And I told them that the Kashmir people are not against the labourers from outside but they are against the Indian Occupation to which they all readily agreed. By this time the rally started to return. So I again went on the highway where a saw a large number of people returning from the rally shouting, "BJP hai hai, Bajrang Dal hai hai, VHP hai hai. People were so happy as if they had won independence from India. It seemed to me that they were thinking that they had defeated India by their unity. Their faces showed no sign of compromise. This sight brought tears to my eyes.

Then I just turned back and saw clusters of people gathered together near the Sanat Nagar chowk. I ran towards the spot to see the ongoing happenings there. When i reached there I saw lots of people serving orange juice and water to the returning people. The people got down from their vehicles in the chowk and joined the locals to protest. Many women and children also join this procession and even shouted slogans of Azadi. I saw people were making rounds in the Sanat Nagar chowk, shouting Anti Indian slogans, "Ragda Ragda Bharat Ragda" and "Jis Kashmir ko khoon se seencha woh Kashmir hamara hai".

Then suddenly people were overwhelmed with joy to see Syed Ali Shah Geelani returning from the rally along with Ashraf Sehrai. Geelani seemed tired. He shook hands with many people but left without saying anything. Just afterwards Hurriyat leader Nayeem Khan's vehicle passed by and he was stopped by the people there. He got out from his scorpio and shouted slogans from the top of his car. Then he delivered a brief lecture in which he emphasized that youth are the real power of Kashmir and they can bring a revolution. He also said that it was accused that people of upper areas like Sanat Nagar, Rawalpora, Hyderpora, etc showed cold shoulder to the freedom struggle but today it has been clearly proved that the wave of this revolution and ongoing struggle has spread everywhere and people of these areas too have same feelings as those of the Shahr-e-Khaas. Nayeem Khan ended his brief lecture by quoting a couplet of Iqbal along with some hadith of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). And the rally continued to return overwhelmingly.

This rally really left an ever lasting impression on my heart and mind. I had never seen so many Kashmiris united like this before. This rally really proved as a great platform for unity and oneness. I myself saw people of all ages from young to very old. Even women and children were present in the procession. That sight was worth seeing. Lakhs of people participated in this peaceful rally irrespective of caste, creed, age or any maslaq. Even I saw a vehicle in which many Sikhs were going to Pampore and I saw Tibetian refugees taking part in this rally. In this way I witnessed all the procession both while going and returning. I just had heard about such rallies from my parents before but now I myself witnessed it. Then about at 7 pm, I reached home, death tired. I couldn't even move from my bed due to intense exertion. But I was very satisfied, feeling happy and contended. This rally was the most memorable event of my life.

(This Article has been written By Yaqeen Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander. He can be mailed at: yaqeen@ymail.com)