Sheikh Abdul Aziz 1

Sheikh Abdul Aziz

Sheikh Abdul Aziz (1952 – August 11, 2008) was
Chairman Jammu Kashmir Peoples League and a
prominent member of the All Parties Hurriyat
Conference, an alliance of Kashmiri pro-freedom
groups at the forefront of the political struggle against
Indian rule in Indian Administered Kashmir.[1] He was
strong advocate of Right to Self-Determination of
Kashmiri people and believed that an Independent
plebiscite under UN supervision can bring long lasting
peace in South-Asia.[2]

Sheikh Abdul Aziz was assassinated by of Indian

Paramilitary Forces on August 11, 2008 while leading a
peaceful public demonstration against the ‘economic
blockade’ of the Kashmir Valley predominantly having
Muslim population being enforced by Indian Hindu
hardliner groups allegedly with the tacit support of the
Indian government.[3]

Sheikh Abdul Aziz was a former militant commander

turned pro-freedom politician. He had been jailed on
several occasions for demanding accession of Kashmir
Sheikh Abdul Aziz (1952 – August 11, 2008) was Chairman Jammu
with Pakistan. He is the third prominent pro-freedom Kashmir Peoples League and a prominent member of the All Parties
leader to have been killed after the eruption of the Hurriyat Conference
armed struggle in 1989 against Indian rule in Indian
Administered Kashmir[1] and the second chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s League to have been killed
by the Indian Paramilitary Forces. Earlier, Abdul Hamid Wani popularly known as S Hamid was killed in a staged
encounter on April 19, 1998 at Ahmad Nagar on the outskirts of Srinagar.

With his assassination, Aziz emerged as new ‘martyr’ of Kashmiri Right to Self-Determination in league with
Maqbool Bhat and caused a serious blow to the Kashmir conflict, further narrowing down chances of any
rapprochement between the beleaguered Kashmiri nation and the increasingly militant Indian state.[3]

Early life
Sheikh Abdul Aziz was born in 1952 in Namblabal, district Pampore close to the capital city Srinagar. He received
basic education from Government School Pampore and then passed Matriculation from Government High School
Pampore. Soon after passing his Matriculation examination, Aziz joined agriculture business of his father Sheikh
Abdul Salam, including growing high yield saffron, for which his hometown is famous throughout the Kashmir
valley.[4]
Sheikh Abdul Aziz in his early teens watched moe-e-muqqadus movement when millions of Kashmiris came out on
streets against the mysterious theft of highly revered holy relic of Prophet Muhammad from the Hazratbal shrine in
Srinagar. The agitation soon transformed into pro-freedom public outpouring with millions of Kashmiris demanding
freedom from Indian rule.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz 2

Polical career
Moe-e-Muqqadas movement renewed decades old Kashmiri demands for freedom, giving inspiration to a new
generation of Kashmiris including Aziz. Sheikh Aziz got emotionally attached with the liberation movement of
Kashmir. He started his political career as a student leader and worked with many students and youth organizations
to pursue the cause of Kashmir's Right to Self-Determination. In 1972 he joined pro-freedom political group Young
Men’s League that called for the Kashmiri right to self-determination according to the UN Resolutions. At that he
was just 20 years old.
His peaceful political activities soon came under the scanner of police. His first arrest came at the age of 20 when he
was booked under the infamous and draconian National Security Act. At that time, he was the Block Secretary of the
organisation.
In 1973 the Young Man’s League, Students Federation, Islamic Organization and Youth League merged into other
pro-freedom groups forming the Jammu and Kashmir People’s League to which Aziz remained associated with until
his death.
He went underground in 1982–1983, at that time he was holding the responsibility of District President for Pulwama
(Peoples league). In 1986 he became the general secretary of the People’s League, the responsibility he carried on till
1990, when amid massive public resentment against the Indian rule; he amicably joined the armed struggle in an
endeavour to highlight the Kashmir cause globally and to show the world that Kashmiri people want to live with self
respect and dignity and as free people in the comity of nations. He became the chief commander of Al-Jihad, a
formidable militant group in early 1990s that was supported by his parent organisation, Jammu and Kashmir People’s
League.
In 1998 he was taken as APHC executive member and there on carried forward his struggle for the unfettered and
globally recognized right of self determination on political front. And had to face tremendous difficulties and
obstacles and hardships in this path and had to spend almost 16 years of his life in different prisons and interrogation
centers.

Arrests and Imprisonment

Due to his involvement with the pro-freedom struggle, the arrests and prison sentences became a permanent fixture
of Sheikh Aziz’s political life - he spent more than 16 years in prison under various charges including sedition,
seeking to separate Jammu and Kashmir from the Indian control and waging a militant struggle etc. His longest spell
of imprisonment came on 21 May, 1993 when he was arrested as the chief commander of now defunct Al-Jihad and
lasted till 27 September 2000.
Following his release after nearly nine years of gruelling prison life, Aziz re-joined political struggle but was again
arrested on 1 August 2001 for nearly three years and released in February 2004 at the peak of India-Pakistan peace
process. After his release, he supported the peace process and called for peaceful solution of the Kashmir issue. He
later visited Pakistan to encourage the India-Pakistan peace process and supported the end of hostilities. However, a
year later, he was again arrested on 5 February 2005 and released only last November, 2007. After his release this
time, Aziz joined the ‘moderate’ faction of the Hurriyat Conference, a conglomerate of the pro-freedom Kashmiri
groups and once again reiterated his demand for peaceful resolution of the Kashmir problem.
However, as the crisis that was triggered by the illegal transfer of Kashmiri land to a semi-government Hindu body -
Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) unfolded, Aziz along with other Kashmiri leaders took a strong stand, keeping
in view the strong public sentiment against it, who see the land transfer as a covert Indian plan to seek demographic
changes in the Muslim majority Jammu and Kashmir.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz 3

Facilitated Unification of Hurriyat

Only days before his assassination, Aziz was instrumental in bringing the two factions of the Hurriyat Conference
together, forging a common Kashmiri response to the SASB controversy and therefore was seen unfavourably by
both the local pro-Indian administration and the Indian state.

Death
On 11 August 2008 the “Muzaffarabad chalo” call was given by the Hurriyat Conference and some other
organisations against the 'economical blockade' of Kashmir valley by Indian Hindu fundamentalists. Processions
were taken out from various areas across the valley. Sheikh Aziz and Shabbir Shah were leading the march from
Sopore towards the de facto border with Pakistan, when their rally was stopped by the massive force of police and
army at Chala, near Boniyar, Baramullah. Indian Paramilitary Forces opened fire at Chahal, 25 km away from the
border town of Uri, to disperse the massive march. Sheikh Abdul Aziz along with many others were injured. All the
critically injured were shifted to Srinagar's SMHS hospital, where Shiekh Abdul Aziz succumbed to injuries. He was
buried in Marty's Graveyard in Eidgah, Srinagar on 12 August 2008.[5] [6]

References and notes

[1] "Kashmiri separatist leader killed" (http:/ / english. aljazeera. net/ news/ asia/ 2008/ 08/ 2008811153847828577. html). Al-Jazeera. 12 August
2008. . Retrieved 11 August 2009.
[2] "Last words of Saheed-e-Azeemat Sheikh Abdul Aziz" (http:/ / www. kashmirwatch. com/ showkashmir. php?subaction=showfull&
id=1218663599& archive=& start_from=& ucat=17& var1news=value1news). kashmirwatch.com. 13 August 2008. . Retrieved 11 August
2009.
[3] Murtaza, Shibli (11 August 2008). "Obituary: Sheikh Abdul Aziz (1952-2008)" (http:/ / www. kashmiraffairs. org/ sheik_aziz_profile. html).
kashmiraffairs.org. . Retrieved 11 August 2009.
[4] Shah, Waseem (10 Aug 2009). "Sheikh Aziz: Man with a mission" (http:/ / www. kashmirwatch. com/ showexclusives.
php?subaction=showfull& id=1249947066& archive=& start_from=& ucat=15& var1news=value1news). [kashmirwatch.org]. . Retrieved 11
August 2009.
[5] "‘Muzaffarabad chalo’ march fizzles out" (http:/ / www. tribuneindia. com/ 2008/ 20080812/ main5. htm). Tribune News Service. Tuesday,
August 12, 2008. . Retrieved 12 August 2008.
[6] "Troops open fire as 250,000 ‘march to Muzaffarabad’: APHC leader Sheikh Aziz killed" (http:/ / www. dawn. com/ 2008/ 08/ 12/ top4. htm).
Dawn News. 12 August 2008. . Retrieved 2009-08-12.

External links
• Kashmir (http://www.gharib.demon.co.uk)
• Kashmir Watch - In-depth Coverage on Kashmir Conflict (http://www.kashmirwatch.com)
• Kashmiri - Canadian Council (http://www.kashmiri-cc.ca/)
• Kashmir Centre.EU (http://www.kashmircentre.org)
• Kashmir Affairs (http://www.kashmiraffairs.org)
Article Sources and Contributors 4

Article Sources and Contributors

Sheikh Abdul Aziz  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=426867166  Contributors: Kashmirspeaks, LilHelpa, Mar4d, Michal Nebyla, R'n'B, 2 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

File:Sheikh_Aziz.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Sheikh_Aziz.jpg  License: Creative Commons Zero  Contributors: User:Kashmirspeaks

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