Dr Abdul Aala, an Al-fatah veteran, breathed his last on 23 May in Muzzafarabad — the capital city of Pakistan administered Kashmir. He was 70.
He was a resident of Shopian, who migrated to Muzzafarabad in mid-nineties after facing a witch-hunt from state.
Al-fatah was an outfit of a few hundred men that fought guerrilla war years before the outbreak of militancy cum mass uprising in late 80s. The outfit stemmed from the collapse of plebiscite front—a campaign urging India and Pakistan to hold plebiscite in Kashmir.
Aala was a prominent member of the outfit who sacrificed his job as a doctor in government’s health department for his active resistance politics.
Aala was a renewed physician of his time in southern hinterland. He had done MBBS from Government Medical College, Srinagar. It is said he used to conduct medical checkups for free. He had knack for socio-political services since his college days. In 70s, he was at the fore front during the agitation for declaring Shopian a district.
The social activism of those early years laid ground for his future life as a resistance politician. In mid 90s, he migrated to Muzzafarabad after government forces started hunting activists.
Once in Muzzafarabad he became a member of Fazal Ul Haq PPF. He represented PPF in PaK chapter of Hurriyat Conference since 2005. Currently, Aala was in charge of its foreign affairs.
His colleagues describe him as a visionary who had a passion for justice. He had also played a prominent role in Muttahida Mahaz agitation. Dr Aala is survived by three sons, wife and a daughter. One of his son is a doctor working in Tanzania. Aala spent his last years with his son there. He had returned to Muzzafarabad recently after his heath deteriorated.
His funeral prayer was attended by large number of people including Hurriyat leaders and prominent members of migrant community in Muzafarabad.
Jamat-e-Islami Chief of PaK, Abdul Rashid Turabi also attended his funeral. The speakers on this occasion hailed his contribution to resistance politics. His party chief Fazl Haq Qureshi condoled the demise while speaking at the funeral on phone.
In his native district in Shopian the civil society members arranged a condolence meeting the day he died. Later they held a funeral in absentia.
-Zafar Aafaq
