Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | Speaking Tree Website | August 1, 2016
Mohammad Afzal Guru (30 June 1969 – 9 February 2013) was born in Kashmir. He was convicted and was given death sentence in India for his role in the December 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament.
Afzal Guru left behind a good legacy, which his son stated after his death. Here is a report from The Times of India, which provides details of the advice given by Afzal Guru to his son:
The Pathankot attackers said they wanted revenge for the hanging of Afzal Guru; and in the Kashmir valley, Afzal Guru's "martyrdom" has becoming a rallying cry in the valley. But Afzal Guru's 17-year-old son Ghalib Abdul Guru says he has nothing to do with the azaadi (freedom) sentiment and wants to become a doctor and study at AIIMS.
Ghalib has just scored 95 per cent in his Class X board exams and hopes to become a doctor. Speaking to TOI from his maternal grandfather's home in Sopore, Ghalib says he wants to get an MBBS degree just like his dad. “I used to meet dad in prison. The Crime Patrol told me he had done something bad and had hurt some people that's why he was in jail. When I met him he used to tell me to study hard all the time and do well at my studies, to look after my mother and read the Quran.”
What are his memories of his father? “I don’t remember him very well. All I remember is he used to always stay with his books, always reading and studying. He used to tell me to do the same. He used to say everything is in the hands of the Almighty. Whatever is written in your naseeb (fate), that's what will happen.”
So is Ghalib also religious? “Yes, I read the Quran also. But I am mostly busy with my studies. I study all the time, I stay alone a lot as I am an only child,” he says.
(‘I want to be a doctor, study in AIIMS: Ghalib Abdul Guru, son of Afzal Guru’, January 12, 2016)
This is a good advice from a departed soul; there is no doubt about it. If generalized, it can be said that this is the best advice for all the youth of Kashmir. The youth in Kashmir should avoid taking part in the confrontational politics being carried out in the name of freedom of their state. They should build a career for themselves in education. If they do so, it would be good for them and also for the whole of Kashmir.
Political problems are not a monopoly of Kashmir. Every country and region has its share of political problems. The best policy for the Kashmiri youth is to leave the political issues of Kashmir to be decided by the Kashmiri leaders and devote all their time and energy to excellent securing higher education. In this way, they would be able to fulfill their ambitions in a much better way.
According to biological law, the youth age is the most productive age. The best advice for the Kashmiri youth is that they should not waste their youth age by indulging in politics, rather they should make education their topmost priority and work towards excelling in it. Education is the only guarantee for their future. No other thing, even politics, can be a guarantee for a better future.
The state of Kerala is a model for Kashmiris. According to recent reports, Kerala has hundred percent literacy rates. Kashmiri youth should work on these lines and make Kashmir a hundred percent literate state.