Welcome to 'Afzalabad'

 

Sopore, Feb 6: It was a chilly winter afternoon when we boarded a vehicle from main market in this north Kashmir town to Seer-Jageer, village of Muhammad Afzal Guru, who was sent to gallows on February 9, 2013 at Tihar Jail in New Delhi and was buried there. His native village still awaits his mortal remains, which Government didn’t return till date.

After moving through macadamized roads dotted by concrete houses, apple orchards and paddy fields, we thought it would be like other villages, but it was different.  After stepping from the vehicle, driver signaled us towards an alley leading to the way to Seer-Jageer, it will lead you to Afzal’s Village.  As we stepped on the alley, we saw a gate guarded by an Army bunker. It was frightening for us; but we carried on, pretending brave and without looking at the army men housed in the bunker. As we paced our steps, it turned out to be a garrison going long and long.  Apart from army bunkers spreading far and wide, it houses an Army Goodwill school, a firing range on which in mix of Urdu and English, army has written –“Ek Gooli Ek Terrorist.”  As we were racing along the road, our heart was beating fast; we feared worst-if gate would be closed, where we will go. How can we come-out?

In the meanwhile we crossed the army installations, and a huge graffiti became visible – Welcome to Afzalabad,  on the wall of Forest Protection Unit followed by many more pro -freedom, pro- Islam and praises for Afzal Guru.

Development and Jageer seem to be too opposite reflected all along the road leading to 90 muddy and concrete houses. Locals say village has been victimized by the successive regimes.  Renowned cardiologist, Dr Abdul Ahad Guru who was considered very close to JKLF and killed during hey days of militancy also hailed from the same village.

“Both Abdul Ahad Guru and Muhammad Afzal Guru are considered brightest students in this village till date. They would have done something good for this village, but they did not survive, “a group of young and old sitting on a shop front said.

This village is officially documented as Seer Jageer, it is separated by a river Jehlum in two parts Seer and Jager. People have to employ boats for visiting each other.

Finally we reached Afzals house, an old fashioned one dotted by tin sheets around the house.  As we knocked the door, Hilal Ahmed Guru, Afzal’s younger brother, greeted us so warmly as if we known each other for years. As we introduced ourselves as journalists, he brought tea and biscuits. When we refused to have tea, he said, “ Tuhi chiv chean , natii gachem Afzal seabh naraaz, temis gocuh mehmaans kheatir waatun jaan” (You have to take it, otherwise Afzal  sahib will be angry with me. He was very concerned about guests.)

As the conversations went on, Hilal narrated their rosy past when their father, Habibullah Guru was an affluent timber trader in the area, their fortunes fell after his death in late nineties.  Then their elder brother who is a government employee in Animal Husbandry Department took care of the family. Later on he separated from his brothers and mother and built a  separate house at Kanispora Baramulla and finally Afzal Guru managed the financial requirements from his surgical distributorship business in the area.