Mohd Maqbool Sherwani,A savior Of Kashmir

Mohd Maqbool Sherwani,A savior Of Kashmir ( Let all Indians Salute Sherwani on his 74th Martyrdom which fell on 7th November,2020 ) A rare martyr, who was nailed with a pole/wall by Pakistani Kabaliyees( Raiders),who entered Kashmir,as by that time Maharaja Hari Singh had not signed Instrument of Accession, which he signed with a delay of 73 days after India attained freedom on 15th August.1947. Mr. Sherwani was a Muslim young man of 19 years when he attained Martyrdom. He was resident of Baramulla town and was engaged as a shopkeeper. He was Indian, secular by heart and deed. He was a worker and follower of Sheikh Mohd. Abdulla’s National Conference party , which was opposed to fall in line the designs of Muslim League, despite being Muslim. After entering Jammu and Kashmir loaded like cattle in lorries and trucks, tall, strong and shabby looking tribesmen entirely plundered the beautiful city of Baramulla on October 26. The attack was so lethal that only 3,000 citizens of Baramulla out of a total population of 14,000 were said to have survived--a fact that Akbar Khan, a Pakistani commander and main perpetrator of the attack, has himself agreed to in his book ‘Raiders in Kashmir’. Sherwani is said rode his motorcycle On Oct26, 1947 and went around the Baramulla town telling Kabaliyees not to advance towards Srinagar as Indian troops had reached the outskirts of Baramulla. Sherwani held public meetings in villages on his motorcycle to unify them and collectively take on the raiders. Seeing a local citizen on the deserted road, the raiders asked him for the route to Srinagar airport. The idea of Pakistan was to capture Srinagar Airport as it was the only means for urgent procurements and deployment of the Indian army in case of immediate warfare. Controlling the Srinagar airport meant cutting off the valley from the rest of India. But Sherwani played a skilled trick by displayed his supper presence of mind and in a convincing tone,he misguided the raiders and suggested to them a wrong path that was going to lead them to nowhere. He also led them for some distance astray. However, after wandering on the wrong path for some time and realizing about being misguided, the Kabaliyees returned back to find Sherwani and punish him for the delay. Sherwani was in Sumbal, 35 km away from Baramulla when raiders found him, abducted and brought him back to Baramulla to set an example for the Indian patriots. The raiders stressed Sherwani to get saved his life by uttering “ Pakistan Zindabad”, which this true son of the soil refused. He was nailed alive to a post through the palms and the chest at Baramulla crossing and as many as 14 bullets were pumped into his body. Finally, Maharaja Hari Singh signed the agreement of accession on 26 October and New Delhi sent the Indian Army to Kashmir the very next day. In the morning of 27 October 1947, soldiers of the Sikh Regiment landed at Srinagar airport after being airlifted from Gurgaon base. Dewan Ranjit Rai, who was martyred in the war with raiders, was commanding the unit. When the Indian army reached Srinagar, it was received warmly by the Kashmiris. Three days after his martyrdom, his body was brought down the post by the army on reaching Baramulla. To a larger extent, due to Sherwani’s role, the famous Shalateng battle near Srinagar was fought to eliminate the enemy. He got crucified and attained martyrdom for the honour of his motherland and the people. Alas! Such heroes stand totally forgotten and neglected. A famous Kashmiri journalist Sofi Ghulam Mohammad shared the anecdote and recalled “when they entered the city, there were cheers. They were garlanded.” He also recalled the slogans raised by Kashmiris like “You invaders beware, we Kashmiris are ready to fight you’ and “Long live Hindu-Sikh-Muslim unity”. Kashiri people also designed a slogan “ Sheikh Sahib Ka Kya Arshad,Hindu-Muslim-Sikh Ahtad”. Meaning what sheikh sahib Said, “Unity to Hindu, Muslim and Sikhs”. Locals share the incident of how he, along with Sherwani’s supporters, disrupted a public rally of Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Baramulla on 25 July 1944. Sherwani celebrated the pluralistic culture of Kashmir. Locals also share stories highlighting his efforts to promote harmony and religious tolerance. As the clouds of war gathered, the National Conference organised militias composed of local volunteers to defend the Valley, including the Women’s Self-defense Corps. In Srinagar and Baramulla, these militias are remembered as the Salamati Fauj, meaning army for safety a In memory of this selfless son of mother India,the park along the right bank( Towards Mohinder Nagar) of Canal Jammu,was named after Sherwani as “ Sherwani Park”. The Left bank of canal was named after another Kashmir Saviour Hero Brigadier Rajinder Singh who too lost his life defending his motherland. A befitting memorial of all such Martyrs need be erected in Jammu to keep their sacrifices stories even alive in the minds of our young generations. Let us all SALUTE Sherwani Sahib on his 74th Martyrdom which falls on 7th November,2020. Er. H.R.Phonsa, Jammu Contact: hrphonsa@gmail.com Mob: 9419134060 Dated 7-11-2020 Souce of Material 1.Daily Excelsior Dated (27-10-2013) 2. Google/Wikipedia