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(L to R) Fazal Haq Qureshi, Mohammad Farooq Rahmani, Late Ghulam Mohammad Bulla

Later, the leadership of JKPL once again united in 1992 but six months later, Ghulam Mohammad Khan Sopori formed his own faction of JKPL. “The status quo prevailed till 1998 when a successful effort was made to reunite JKPL again. Shabir Shah had come out of the jail by that time and he took over as the chairman of the party while S Hameed was representing JKPL in Hurriyat conference,” Zahoor said, adding, “The rise of militancy witnessed factions within factions in JKPL.”

Insiders say that one more faction of the party led by Bashir Ahmad Tota is also working, though it has kept a very low profile. The present factions of JKPL are called Waza group, Khan Sopori group, Tota group and Darzi group.

JKPL is probably the only party within the separatist camp whose two chairmen, S Hameed and Sheikh Abdul Aziz, were killed in last two decades. It also played a pivotal role in militancy in Kashmir. In fact, two militancy outfits, Aljahad and Muslim Janbaaz Force (MJF), were working under the patronage of JKPL and even its one time chairman, Late Sheikh Abdul Aziz, was arrested as the chief commander of Aljahad.

A senior political observer told Kashmir Life that every senior member of JKPL wanted to become the chairman which was why the party split time and again. “In JKPL, you can’t find any workers. There are only chairmen, general secretaries and deputy chairmen all around. You hardly find a simple worker of the party,” he said.

A group of young Kashmiris who formed J&K Peoples League were already in the field of politics under some student and youth organizations and they had suffered in jails and torture cells.

“After the Delhi agreement, there was no daring political voice to reorganize the separatist struggle and PL had the exception to do it,” Sheikh Zahoor recalls.

A group of young people launched anti-accord and anti-Sheikh movement. Demonstrations and protests became order of the day. The newly formed JKPL became “champion” of the fresh wave of agitations against both Abdullah & India.

It was at this time that Late Ghulam Muhammad Bulla, a young worker of JKPL in Sopore while leading an anti-accord demonstration, was arrested. Young Bulla was allegedly tortured in the local police station and then shifted to Srinagar Central Jail, where he was allegedly tortured to death on February 15, 1975. “Bulla is the first separatist killed in custody,” Sheikh Zahoor said.

Bulla’s killing led to a wave of protests in select parts of Kashmir valley. “One year after the formation of JKPL, the entire Kashmir valley observed a historical one-day strike on February 28, 1975 against the Delhi agreement and normal life came to standstill, giving new turn to events. The strike was largely sponsored by JKPL,” Inquillabi said, referring to the book ‘Azadi Ki Talash’ authored by Farooq Rehmani. Pertinently, ‘Azadi Ki Talash’ was banned under Dr Farooq Abdullah’s regime.

This became a turning point for JKPL as it emerged as a strong separatist voice in Kashmir. But there was no running away as the government started targeting its leadership and activists. Workers and supporters of JKPL were arrested, put behind bars or subjected to torture in every nook and corner of Kashmir valley.

JKPL has the exception to launch an anti-liquor movement in 1981. It started from Islamabad in south Kashmir and in no time spread to north Kashmir’s Bandipora, Sopore and Baramulla townships. Consequently, the then administration used preventive detention laws and police rounded up workers and supporters of JKPL. Jammu & Kashmir Peoples League was banned by Governor Jagmohan in 1990 when the state was declared as a disturbed area under the J&K Disturbed Areas Act.

Mohammad Farooq Rehmani is believed to have framed the constitution of Peoples League in 1978 that was passed by the Central Council in 1979. Sources close to the party leadership said that the manifesto of JKPL was also written by Muhammad Farooq Rehmani in 1991. It is a comprehensive document of theory and policy produced by a separatist organization in Kashmir.

Both the constitution and manifesto of JKPL call for a disciplined, motivated and vigorous struggle for “freedom” on the basis of love, solidarity and communal harmony.

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