Ashfaq Majeed Wani

Ashfaq Majeed Wani (Nastaleeq: ) (September 5 1966 – March 30 1990 ) was a pro-independence activist and later an Area Commander of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front.

Biography
Ashfaq Majeed Wani also known as Frena, was born on 5th of September 1966 in Sarai Balla area of Srinagar in the valley of Kashmir. He studied in valley's prestigious school, the Tyndale Biscoe and later went to SP College for further studies. A good athlete in his early teens, Sports formed an important aspect of Wani’s life. He maintained a strict regimen. Getting up early in the morning he would go for training and exercises. He was a dedicated soccer player, a marathon runner and a table tennis player. He stood first in the interstate marathon tournament in 1985 and was selected to represent the state.

Ashfaq Majeed Wani wanted to be a doctor but became interested in politics in his late teens. At the age of 14, Wani refused to accompany his family members in the funeral procession of Sheikh Abdullah, an early sign of what was to form a part of his ideology. Two years later he began organizing anti establishment and anti India rallies. By 1987, he was already on the radar of Indian intelligence agencies. He was arrested on March 23 1987 for his involvement with the Muslim United Front, which took part in elections, subsequently rigged by the establishment and was lodged at the Central jail, Srinagar. Hundreds of other opposition activists were also arrested in police crackdowns across Indian Controlled Kashmir. He was released after nine months on parole to attend his uncle’s wedding. His period in prison had made him bitter and he was found to have cigarette burns all over his body. After his release, Wani worked on the plans towards the procurement of arms from Azad Kashmir. A day before he left for Azad Kashmir, while serving meals at the wedding reception, he overheard Mohiuddin Shah, a veteran National Conference politician talking about the futility of agitations against the government. Wani is known to have reprimanded him in these famous words "the government made two grave mistakes as far as Kashmir is concerned. First they acceded to India and secondly, they let me on parole."

Wani subsequently crossed into Azad Kashmir to become one of those who laid the foundation for the armed struggle in Kashmir. With the rising discontent against the Indian Rule preceding 1989, because of denial of right to self-determination, erosion of autonomy, consistent subversion of democracy and lack of employment opportunities, the 1987 rigged election was a watershed event in the Kashmiri politics. The Muslim United Front(MUF) candidate Mohammad Yousuf Shah was imprisoned even though he was on the lead and later became Sayeed Salahudeen, chief of militant outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahedin. His election aides (known as the HAJY group) – Abdul Hamid Shaikh, Ashfaq Majid Wani, Javed Ahmed Mir and Mohammed Yasin Malik became disenchanted with the electoral farce and joined the JKLF. Thousands of young disaffected Kashmiris in the Valley joined JKLF and a full-fledged Movement against the Indian Rule began in 1989. Hundreds of thousands of unarmed people marched on the streets of Srinagar between January and May 1990 demanding a plebiscite. An officially estimated 10,000 desperate Kashmiri youth crossed over to Azad Kashmir for training and procurement of arms and returned to fight the Indian rule in Kashmir.

Death
Ashfaq Majeed Wani was killed at the age of 23 in an encounter with the Indian paramilitary forces in the hawal area of old city, Srinagar on 30th of March 1990. His funeral procession was attended by thousands of people who raised pro-freedom slogans. He is buried in Martyrs Graveyard of Kashmir.