Even as the basic clue that entrapped him was leaked through cell phone conversation, he was quite aware of this communication flaw himself. This is the reason that during his underground period he avoided use of cell phones. One of his confidants said that he only once spoke to Syed Ali Geelani from a STD booth and the conversation was intercepted by the police. Ever since the STD owners were put on notice by the police. His communication with party colleagues and foot soldiers had been generally through word of mouth or piece of paper.
Masarat has been trapped at a time when Omar Abdullah’s government was showing some signs of resolve. Since September 20, there has been a let up in killings by police and paramilitaries, though two persons succumbed to injuries received earlier and another was beaten to death. The prolonged curfews, lull in killings and separatists’ failure to devise any creative programme other than protest calendars had brought in an element of fatigue. Therefore, the strike calls’ punch diminished and the chalo (march) programmes became effectively redundant. It is not known whether Masarat had any plans to reframe the “resistance movement” or he was himself a victim of fatigue syndrome. The two CD’s he released during his underground period did not show such signs.
Masarat Alam, whose involvement in separatism forced closure of his well-established business of readymade garments, lives in near poverty. He lost his father at young age and was brought up by maternal grandfather. The brunt of economic loss was mainly borne by his wife, sister and elderly mother, a close relative told Kashmir Life.
His emergence on the separatist political scene in Kashmir has many peculiar features. He has sprouted from the urban grassroots and belongs to that cadre, which was fed up by the 1987-rigged assembly elections. In early 1990’s he joined Hizbullah outfit and wielded gun for some time. Then he joined Muslim Students Federation, a student wing of the Hizbullah, which later graduated into Muslim League. Muslim League has a cadre base in core of Srinagar city, especially among educated youngsters who are influenced by Quranic teachings. These youngsters backed Masarat’s shutdown or protest programmes, and paint graffitis on prominent walls and squares.
When Syed Ali Geelani engineered a split in Hurriyat Conference in 2003 to “alienate pro-election outfits from separatist camp”, Masarat and his men stood by him, giving him a loyal constituency in Srinagar. That time Masarat had joined Geelani’s Tehreek-e-Hurriyat and Geelani had publicly proclaimed him as one of the two political heirs. He however left Geelani’s party immediately to rejoin Muslim League but remained wedded to amalgam headed by the veteran leader.
People who have remained close to Masarat say that he is unambiguous and straightforward. He had guts to speak against Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik. Even he was not comfortable with Geelani’s style of working, his totalitarian attitude and many a times confronted him on policy matters. This is one of the reasons that he left Geelani’s outfit at one point in time.
Masarat’s sway on city youngsters was simultaneously his strength and weakness. During Shab-e-Qadr in the month of Ramadhan, when thousands of people were on streets in Srinagar city, Masarat embarked on a whirlwind tour to Srinagar mosques and delivered fiery speeches. He was accompanied by an army of bikers. Overwhelmed by the response to his speeches, around midnight, he decided to make a dramatic presence at Jamia Masjid. However, a group of youngsters who have sway in old city and do not belong to Masarat, confronted him and foiled his plans. He had to beat a hasty retreat.
However, observers say that Masarat has effectively rejuvenated the urban separatist politics and despite his arrest he would continue to wield influence in the city.
During his underground period, some observers felt that Masarat was being deliberately left by the security forces to grow his profile as a hardcore Islamist rebel. They opined that his long flowing beard presented him as a Talabanised youngster who wears green band with Quranic verses on forehead to terrify anti-Islamic forces. Masarat sought to clarify this image during his interviews. He said that though he was a staunch Islamist, he does not nurse grudge against any non-Muslim. He appreciated the idea of Independent Kashmir and clarified that he did not have any global agenda but confines his politics to the “freedom of Jammu and Kashmir”.
