1) START OF ARMED FREEDOM STRUGGLE

By the middle of Nineteen-eighties, Kashmir Issue as also Kashmiris’ freedom movement were almost on their deathbed. The Issue and the movement were being referred to by Kashmiri and Pakistani leaders in their speeches just to give the impression that they were interested in them whereas infact they did nothing practical to enhance their national cause. JKLF’s endeavors on international level to attract the attention and support of international community towards Kashmiris’ just cause had not proved very effective. As such, after his release from British prison after 15 months and his deportation to Pakistan, Mr Amanullah Khan, Chairman, JKLF, who had during his 9 years stay in the UK prior to his arrest in 1985, knocked at the door of every influential nation and institution through their representatives at the UN seeking their support to Kashmiris cause but had failed to achieve his objective, came to the conclusion that armed freedom struggle by Kashmiris could on one hand give new life to freedom struggle and on the other hand attract the attention of the world towards the Issue. He discussed the matter with his colleagues who agreed with him, as such, JKLF decided to start armed freedom struggle and started practical preparations for it. For a number of unavoidable reasons, JKLF had to get practical support of the Government of Pakistan which it did on the condition that Pakistan would not interfere in its internal affairs, would not have any objection to projection of its ideology of re-unification and independence of Jammu Kashmir State and that it would be wholly solely incharge of political indoctrination of freedom- fighters who would only be trained in armed freedom struggle and supplied arms by Pakistan government. So the ball was set rolling in 1987 when youth from Indian held part of the State were brought to Azad Kashmir, indoctrinated in political ideology and the code of conduct by JKLF and imparted practical training by Pakistan government and sent back. Armed freedom struggle was started on July 31, 1988. Freedom-fighters were strictly directed not to harm civilians, not to destroy civilian property, not to give any heed to communalism, regionalism and to discourage with full force both these social evils. The freedom fighters had to attack only Indian armed forces of occupation deployed in Kashmir and their installations. The popular response to our call was far beyond our best expectations and flow of freedom-fighters from Indian held Kashmir to Azad Kashmir was so heavy that we could indoctrinate them properly neither in ideology nor in code of conduct with the result that some of them fell into the hands of those sections of Pakistan government who were against our political ideology of States independence and did not want us to be in full command of the freedom movement. So, they very secretly won over some active freedom-fighters and floated groups and indoctrinated them against our political ideology and withdrew support to us with the result that we lost control of the movement specially after incidents when Indian forces and our rebels supported by Pakistan almost joined hands to crush us.