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Slain Hizbul Commander's wife breaks silence over first ceasefire after 18 years

Inside her hospital room, Dr Shameema Bano is busy tending to her patients on a wheel chair unmindful of her disability. It has been 12 years since she was shot at inside her home by suspected militants leaving her crippled for life. 

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Inside her hospital room, Dr Shameema Bano is busy tending to her patients on a wheel chair unmindful of her disability. It has been 12 years since she was shot at inside her home by suspected militants leaving her crippled for life. 

For Shameema, it was the price she paid for the ceasefire and peace overtures of her husband Abdul Majeed Dar. Dar was the Chief Operations Commander of Hizbul Mujahedeen, when he declared the unilateral ceasefire in July 2000. Four of his commanders later held talks with the then union home secretary Kamal Panday in Srinagar for the settlement of the Kashmir tangle.

The ceasefire however was withdrawn after 15 days by Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) based supreme commander Syed Salahuddin after differences cropped up within the militant and separatist leadership. Later Dar and his commanders were expelled from the Hizbul.

It was the beginning of the end of the pain and tribulations for the Dar family. Dar was assassinated in March 2003 and three years later suspected militants stormed his residence and shot at his wife Dr Shameema Bano rendering her crippled for life.

“I was hospitalized for one year in different hospitals in Delhi and Mumbai. Later I was bed-ridden for three years. My son was a small kid who went into depression after the incident. And still, all the culprits are untraceable”, said Dr Shameema.

It took 18 years for Dr Shameema to break the silence on the issue of ceasefire and the assassination of her husband and former Hizbul Mujahedeen chief operations commander Abdul Majeed Dar.

“The peace we have today, I do not think it (sacrifice of her husband) was worth it. Nothing happened afterwards (the ceasefire).  Had that process continued and if Dar Sahab would have been martyred, I would have taken it that he died for a cause”, said Shameema.

According to Shameema, Dar was tasked to announce the ceasefire by the leadership in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. “He came through Line of Control (LoC) and announced the ceasefire. Three years after he announced truce, he was assassinated. The assassins are still untraceable”, she said.

Come 2018 Ramzan ceasefire, Shameema said there should be peace with dignity for Kashmir. “It (ceasefire) should not be a cosmetic measure. It should be done as Dar Sahab had envisioned. Dar sahib always wanted peace with dignity and honour. He never compromised with the peace and dignity of Kashmiris", she said

 

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