Shabir Shah

Shabir Ahmad Shah
Shabir Shah
Born14 June 1953 (1953-06-14) (age 72)
Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir, India
OccupationSeparatist leader
Known forFounder of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party
SpouseBilquies Shah

Shabir Ahmad Shah (born 14 June 1953), popularly known as Shabir Shah, is a Kashmiri separatist political leader and the founder and president of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP), a separatist political organisation that advocates self-determination for Jammu and Kashmir.[1]

Shah has spent several years in prison or under detention in connection with separatist activities. In June 2019 he was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a terror-funding case. In March 2026, the Supreme Court of India granted him bail, citing prolonged delay in the trial proceedings.[2]

Birth and childhood

Born in a business family of South Kashmir's Kadipora town in district Anantnag on 14 June 1953. Shabir Ahmad Shah Varrier did his early schooling at Government Middle School, Sarnal, Anantnag and passed a higher secondary examination from M.I. Higher Secondary School, Anantnag but could not continue his studies due to affiliation with various students’ leagues for which was jailed at very early age.[3]

Shah's father was Ghulam Mohammad Varrier, who was a Block Development Officer. He apparently died in police custody in 1989.[4]

Personal life

Shabir is married to Bilquies Shah,[5] a doctor by profession,[6] and they have two daughters - Sehar Shabir Shah[7] and Sama Shabir shah.[8][9][10]

Political career

Men’s League to People’s League

Shah's political career began in 1968 when, at the age of 14,[11] he led a demonstration against the Indian government in Kashmir, following which he was arrested and kept in police lockup for three months.[12] Soon afterwards, Shah and his colleagues formed the Young Men's League.[13] He, along with other league activists, was arrested several times, which affected Shah's education.

During his confinement in Central Jail Srinagar, Shah met several resistance leaders including Nazir Ahmad Wani (Al-Fateh), Abdul Majid Pathan (Youth League), Altaf Khan alias Azam Inquilabi (Students Islamic Organization), and Ghulam Qadir Hagroo, with whom he discussed plans related to the demand for self-determination. While Shah was still in jail, his associates Nazir Ahmad Wani, S. Hamid, Fazal Haq Qureshi, Abdul Majid Pathan and others formed the Jammu Kashmir People's League on 3 October 1974, with Nazir Ahmad Wani as its chairman and Abdul Majid as its general secretary. The organisation opposed the Indira–Abdullah Accord (1975) and organised rallies across the state.[14]

Formation of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party

In 1998, Shah formed the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP), which advocates self-determination for the people of Kashmir.

Imprisonment

Shah was arrested for the first time in 1968,[15] when he was aged 14, for organising and leading a student demonstration demanding what he described as the "right of self-determination" for the people of Kashmir. He was jailed for three months and 15 days in Srinagar's Central Jail. After his release, he resumed political activities and formed the Young Men's League with his colleagues, for which he was again arrested in Anantnag and detained for eight months in Srinagar's Central Jail. After his release, he was arrested again in 1971 on allegations of being a pro-Pakistan activist and was detained in the district police lines at Anantnag for seven months.

In 1972, Shah organised demonstrations in Jammu and was arrested under the Defence of Indian Rules Act (DIR) and detained in Central Jail, Srinagar for eleven months. During this period, the political situation in the subcontinent was changing following the creation of Bangladesh. After his release, Shah addressed a rally in Anantnag demanding freedom for the Kashmiri people and criticised agreements such as the Shimla Agreement. As a result, he was arrested again in May 1973, five months after his release, and detained for another nine months in Srinagar's Central Jail.

In 1975, Shah denounced the Indira-Abdullah Accord signed by the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah.[16] He was arrested for four months and subsequently confined in Central Jail, Srinagar for another 30 months. After his release in 1978, Shah resumed underground political activities.

In 1980, Shah was re-arrested and initially kept in sub-jail Kathua before being transferred to Central Jail in Srinagar, where he remained for twelve months. He was released towards the end of 1981 but was re-arrested in early 1982 when the People's League launched the Quit Kashmir Movement. Demonstrations followed his arrest and normal life in the valley was disrupted for several days. Shah was later released but was again detained from Kailash Hotel and held in the Kothi Bagh interrogation centre for three and a half months, followed by twelve months in Srinagar's Central Jail. He was released in 1983. During an international cricket match in Srinagar in October 1983, Shah led protests against the government[17] and was arrested again in 1984.

When Shah was released in 1986, his health had deteriorated. Shortly after his release he addressed a press conference demanding that the Kashmiri people be given what he described as the "right of self-determination".

Between April 1988 and August 1989, Shah remained underground. In 1989, he was arrested along with a militant in the Ramban area of the Jammu–Srinagar national highway.[18]

In 2015 Shah was placed under house arrest.[19][20][21]

On 21 May 2017 it was reported that Shabir Ahmad Shah had resigned as secretary-general of the pro-freedom group Tehreek-e-Hurriyat led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani.[22][23]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 outbreak, Shah's wife said that he had spent 33 years in jail and that people should remain indoors to prevent the spread of the virus.[6]

2019 arrest and terror funding case

In June 2019, Shah was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with a terror-funding investigation related to alleged separatist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.[24]

The case was registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other provisions of Indian law. Shah remained in judicial custody while the trial proceedings continued for several years.

In December 2021, it was reported that Shah was "gravely ill" in prison.[25]

On 12 March 2026, the Supreme Court of India granted him bail, noting the prolonged delay in the trial and the length of his incarceration since 2019.[26]

Support for Shabir Ahmad Shah

In 1994, Amnesty International condemned the imprisonment of Shah via AI INDEX: ASA 20/WU 13/94 and demanded his release claiming that Shah was illegally imprisoned under the TADA Act.[27]

In 2021, a Chicago-based organisation Justice for All,[28] started the #FreeShabirShah campaign,[29] claiming that Shah has served 35 years in prison without any conviction and suffering from hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease.[30]

References

  1. ^ Schofield, Victoria (25 February 2021). Kashmir in Conflict : India, Pakistan and the Unending War (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Academic. p. 203. ISBN 9780755607181.
  2. ^ Ayoob, Anzer. "India's Supreme Court Grants Bail to Veteran Kashmiri Separatist Shabir Ahmed Shah". The Diplomat. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  3. ^ Life, Kashmir (27 January 2014). "Shabir Ahmad Shah". Kashmir Life. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  4. ^ Hussain, Altaf (1994). Shabir Shah: a living legend in Kashmir history. Srinagar, Kashmir: Noble Pub. House. p. 102. OCLC 35262806.
  5. ^ "ED files charge sheet against Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah's wife Bilquis". The Indian Express. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  6. ^ a b Majid, Zulfikar (8 April 2020). "'If Shabir Shah can spend years in jail, why can't people stay indoors to prevent coronavirus spread?'". Deccan Herald.
  7. ^ News Desk (26 April 2021). "Shabbir Shah's daughter launches online drive for father's release". Pakistan Observer. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  8. ^ Muzaffar, Raina (26 May 2018). "Separated but topper". The Telegraph (India). Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  9. ^ Hassan, Ishfaq ul (26 May 2018). "Jailed separatist leader Shabir Shah's daughter tops CBSE Class XII exam in Jammu & Kashmir". DNA. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  10. ^ "अलगाववादी नेता शब्बीर शाह की बेटी समा ने जम्मू-कश्मीर में किया टॉप" (in Hindi). Amar Ujala. 26 May 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  11. ^ Schofield, Victoria (2010). Kashmir in conflict : India, Pakistan and the unending war. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-85773-078-7. OCLC 708566755.
  12. ^ "Who are the first separatist leaders in Valley whose security has been withdrawn". The Indian Express. 17 February 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  13. ^ Chowdhary, Rekha (2019). Jammu and Kashmir : 1990 and beyond : competitive politics in the shadow of separatism. New Delhi, India. ISBN 978-93-5328-232-5. OCLC 1079364259.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  14. ^ Hussain, Altaf (1994). Shabir Shah: a living legend in Kashmir history. Srinagar, Kashmir: Noble Pub. House. OCLC 35262806.
  15. ^ "Who are the five separatist leaders whose security cover has been removed?". Moneycontrol. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  16. ^ Bose, Sumantra (2005). Kashmir : Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace. Harvard University Press. pp. 89, 96. ISBN 9780674018174.
  17. ^ Hussain, Shahla (2021). Kashmir in the aftermath of partition. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. p. 303. ISBN 978-1-108-78099-5. OCLC 1221017669.
  18. ^ Meraj, Zafar (31 October 1989). "Outcry over People's League leader Shabir Ahmad Shah's arrest in J&K". India Today.
  19. ^ "Separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah leaves for Delhi". www.thehindubusinessline.com. Business Line. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Separatist leaders under house arrest ahead of protest against Udhampur attack". The Indian Express. The Indian Express. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  21. ^ "Separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah put under house arrest". India TV. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  22. ^ "Shabir Shah Resigns As Sec Gen Of Geelani Led Hurriyat". 21 March 2017.
  23. ^ Rahman, Riyaz Ur (22 March 2017). "Shabir Shah quits as secy of Geelani's Hurriyat. But does he have anywhere to go?". CatchNews. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  24. ^ "NIA arrests separatists Masarat Alam, Asiya Andrabi and Shabir Shah in terror funding case". The New Indian Express. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  25. ^ "Shabir Shah: Nelson Mandela of Kashmir gravely ill". Religion News. December 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  26. ^ Jain, Debby (12 March 2026). "Supreme Court Grants Bail To Kashmiri Separatist Shabir Ahmed Shah In Terror Funding Case; Notes Delay In Trial". Live Law. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  27. ^ "AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: NEWS SERVICE 241/94" (PDF). Amnesty International. 19 October 1994.
  28. ^ "Shabir Shah: Nelson Mandela of Kashmir gravely ill". 1 December 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  29. ^ "FreeShabirShah". Justice For All. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  30. ^ "#FreeShabirShah 35th Year In Prison: A Victim of Indian Settler Colonial Policies In Kashmir - Justice For All". Justice For All. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2022.

Further reading

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