Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai Condoles the Death of Muhammad Ashraf Sahrayee
Muhammad Ashraf Sahrayee, Chairman, Jammu & Kashmir Tehreek-e-Hurriyet passed away last week under police custody in Jammu hospital. He was 80. He was one of the most courageous and fearless leaders of Kashmir. A very knowledgeable and talented personality. A man with a mission, he never placed personal considerations above the lofty aspirations of the Kashmiri people. And now he belongs to the ages. That characterization celebrates the death of a giant in Kashmir's turbulent history.
Sahrayee Sahib, as he was commonly known, was a thinker, scholar and a gemstone of intellect and logic. I knew him for five decades.
Sehrayee Sahib was arrested under draconian law, Jammu Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA) on July 12, 2020 and was shifted to Udhampur Jail in Jammu, 200 miles from his residence. India uses PSA as a tool of repression, suppression and subjugation. Under this law, a person can be detained for up to two years without trial. Amnesty International calls PSA as a “Lawless Law.”
Sahrayee Sahib had multiple serious medical illnesses, including partial hearing loss from torture. Lately, he had developed symptoms of poor eyesight. His family had urged the prison authority and state government to provide him medical treatment, which was denied. His health condition deteriorated day by day and he was shifted to Jammu hospital on May 4, 2021 where he breathed his last. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon.
Sahrayee Sahib was in jail not because he was guilty of a crime but because he advocated and propagated the right of self-determination of the people of Jammu & Kashmir, which was, pledged to them under United Nations Security Council resolutions as early as 1948.
Sahrayee Sahib was a great writer, orator and scholar. He lectured about the Kashmir dispute almost in every nook and corner of the State. He always pleaded that people’s wishes and sentiments must be respected and Kashmir dispute has to be resolved under the United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Sahrayee Sahib was always a truth teller and never kept his people in the dark. He told them that we have a long road ahead of us which needs big and conscious sacrifices. And people of Kashmir know it well that his family has proved to be a symbol of sacrifice and dedication.
The nation of Jammu & Kashmir will miss him greatly and deeply but we are glad that he never let the people of Jammu & Kashmir down! - gnfai2003@yahoo.com
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