Mohammad Afzal Guru (30 June 1969-9 February 2013) was born in Kashmir. He was convicted and given a death sentence in India for his role in the December 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament. On 2 January 2016, a heavily armed group attacked the Pathankot Air Force Station in an attempt to derail the peace process between India and Pakistan.
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 become a rallying cry. 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 The Times of India 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.”
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 securing excellent higher education.
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’, The Times of India, January 12, 2016)
This is a good advice from a departed soul; there is no doubt about it. If generalised, 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.
Education is the only guarantee for the future. No other pursuits, can be a guarantee for a better future.
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 securing excellent higher education. In this way, they would be able to fulfill their ambitions in a much better way.
According to biological laws, youth is the most productive age. The best advice for the Kashmiri youth is that they should not waste it 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 pursuits, 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 primary education with the highest literacy rates in India. Kashmiri youth should work on a similar mission and make Kashmir a hundred percent literate state.
