Maqbool Butt was a prominent Kashmiri Freedom Fighter and activist who played a significant role in the Kashmiri Independence movement in the mid-20th century. Born in 1938 in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Butt co-founded the Jammu and Kashmir National Liberation Front (JKNLF) in the late 1960s, aiming to establish an independent state of Jammu Kashmir. He led several armed campaigns against Indian security forces in Indian-occupied Kashmir. In 1968, Butt was arrested and subsequently sentenced to death in 1968 for a wrong accusation of involvement in a murder case. His execution in 1984 led to protests and further inflamed tensions in the ongoing Kashmir conflict, making him a symbol of resistance and a controversial figure in the region’s history. Here are some Maqbool Butt Quotes
1 – CONFESSION OF MAQBOOL BHAT
“My only crime is that I have rebelled against the forces of obscurantism, ignorance, greed, exploitation, slavery, nepotism, and hypocrisy.”
2 – WE NEED SUPPORT NOT SLAVERY
“ We would welcome support from our friends but based on mutual friendship and dignity not based on control and superiority.”
3 – WHAT DOES AZADI MEAN?
“By liberation, we don’t mean merely the end of foreign occupation from the land of Kashmir but we want our people to be liberated from the forces of poverty, backwardness, ignorance, diseases, injustice, and economic and social disparities. One day we will achieve that freedom”.
4 – ENLIGHTEN YOUR MINDS
“Emancipate your minds from the thoughts of slavery and break the chains of tribalism. Come out of the illusions of tribes and prepare yourself for the liberation, independence, and dignity in your motherland Kashmir”.
5 – KASHMIRIS SPEAK UP EVERYWHERE
“We have to build our freedom struggle on such lines that our voices are echoed in the powerhouses of the occupiers and the whole world bear witness to our commitment to the cause of freedom.”
6 – FESTIVAL OF LIBERATION LIGHTS
“What can be the juncture of greater happiness for me than the fact that not only the cruelty and suppression have failed to put the candles of hope we lit with our blood away but they have lit many more. If this process continues the day is not far when the entire country will shine up and then we will rightly name it the Festival of Liberation Lights.”
7 – IT IS WHAT WE DO not WHAT WE SAY
Maqbool Butt Quotes about the struggle “Struggle is the field where not only the associates and opponents become exposed but also the hypocrites”
8 – CONSCIOUS LIFE
“The best life for those who claim to achieve and promote the truth is to gain the true consciousness and then in the light of this consciousness improve the individual and collective life”
9 – IDENTITY
“ Several factors contribute to the construction of the national identity of a country. It (national identity) does not come into being through mere claims of someone nor does it evaporate only by someone giving it up. The construction of national identity is a blessing of nature and once constructed no power on earth can eradicate it. Therefore for us, even the thought of giving up national identity and the related concept of fragmentation of our country is like a great sin.
He also cherished peace, but he recognized that the oppressors never intended to grant it to the people. Maqbool Butt Quotes about Peace.
10 – PEACE
“Who in the world would not want peace and stability? However, it is important to distinguish between the peace of the graveyard and that of peacefully flowing life and society. The peace that is achieved under the shadows of fear and terror and for which we have to suppress our aspirations and contaminate our minds is not peace but the death warrant.”
11 – LAST WISH
“As my last wish, I would like to ask all my friends who share the vision with me to stay put and carry on with the struggle for the common purpose no matter how severe the conditions become. I firmly believe that one day we will achieve liberation.”
His First and Last love was Kashmir