It was the early 1990s, and the Pakistani army’s spy agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and its complex network of over-ground workers in the Kashmir Valley were doing wonders with the opiate of “Azadi” (freedom) that was being given to Kashmiri youth in training camps in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
The naive youth of impressionable age flocked to pick up the pistol and fight what they were led to believe was a “freedom struggle,” led by the romanticism of being rebels and heroes of sorts, and led them to believe that “Azadi was just around the corner.The success of the ISI-created mujahideen (Islamic warriors) groups in Afghanistan against the Soviets so impressed Gen. Zia ul Haq, the former head of the Pakistani army who later became dictator, that he ordered a duplicate of similar exercise in J&K. He did so, nevertheless, even though he was fully aware that an irregular force had no chance after the Pakistani army had failed spectacularly in its two attempts to conquer J&K.
Gen. Zia nevertheless proceeded with this twisted strategy because he believed it would benefit Rawalpindi and cause India to suffer a great deal without endangering the Pakistani army. Azadi’s pipe dream will force New Delhi to indoctrinate Kashmiris to take up arms against the Indian governmentMost significantly, although Indian law enforcement and security forces would sustain fatalities, the killings of Kashmiri militants during security forces’ operations had no bearing whatsoever on Rawalpindi because no monetary recompense was required. This was a true “win-win” situation for the Pakistani army, which is why Rawalpindi continues to fund terrorism in J&K. In order to coordinate this proxy war, ISI has even established a conglomerate called the Muttahida (united) Jihad Council, which consists of terrorist organizations based in Pakistan.
A young lad named Nazir Ahmad Wani was one among the hundreds of Kashmiri youths who joined the terrorist ranks. Wani, a resident of Cheki Ashmuji village in the Kulgam district of South Kashmir, came from a low-income family. He left school and was making a meager living as a carpet weaver, but he was easily duped into thinking that the so-called mujahideen were doing good deeds for their community when terrorism struck Kashmir.
However, Wani made the decision to stop terrorizing fellow Kashmiris under the guise of waging a “armed struggle” after realizing that ISI was genuinely exploiting them as disposable pawns to achieve its own driven goal. He may have gone back to civilian life after surrendering. But having personally
Wani joined the Territorial Army battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry in 2004 because he was still determined to combat the Pakistani army’s proxies in J&K, even after Ikhwan was disbanded in 2002. He quickly demonstrated his abilities, and three years later, he received the Sena Medal for his eminent bravery in counterterrorism operations.
People typically grow more cautious and shun danger as they age, but Wani clearly had no fear in his vocabulary. In 2018, he was once again given the Sena Medal for valor, which says a lot about his incredible grit and personal fortitude.
Wani might have been tempted to play it safe and take it easy after receiving two decorations for valoOn November 25, 2018, Wani lost his life against a group of six Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who had taken up residence in a house in the South Kashmiri village of Hirpora in the Shopian district. In close quarters fighting, Wani killed another foreign terrorist and the self-described LeT “district commander” during this operation. Unfortunately, he was shot severely during this process, but his wounds didn’t stop him. Despite his deteriorating health, Wani continued to fight another terrorist who was attempting to flee, wounding him before passing away.
In 2019, Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani received the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest peacetime medal, posthumously in honor of his “unparalleled bravery.” The outstanding bravery and admirable commitment to duty displayed
rWani readily succumbed to ISI’s disinformation campaign because he sincerely wanted to help his countrymen, and he picked up the gun for that reason. Wani, however, changed from a condemned terrorist to a “terrorist slayer” after he realized he had been duped and that the mujahideen were the root of the issue rather than the answer to the problems facing Kashmiris.
It is indeed admirable that Wani dedicated his life to improving the lives of his people by helping to eradicate the evil of terrorism in Kashmir and even losing his life in the process.
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