J&K: 'Student’ of Jaish-e-Mohammad founder Masood Azhar is now BJP’s candidate in municipal elections; read about his shocking journey

Mohammad Farooq Khan, who was once the ‘student’ of Jaish-e-Mohmmad’s founder Moulana Masood Azhar, is now fighting the municipal body election in Srinagar from ward number 33 of Tankipor as a candidate from the Bharatiya Janata Pary.

Khan, born 1970, was among one of those youth crossed the Line of Control and took up arms for the independence from both India and Pakistan. He gained arms training at a militant camp in Pakistan and joined the militant group the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF).

Khan, who lives in Barbar Shah locality near Srinagar’s Lal Chowk area, shared his shocking journey with the correspondent of The Wire. He said “I studied at Hindu High school in Srinagar and then joined Sri Pratab Singh College for my graduation. There I made a lot of new friends – it was during the peak of militancy. Everyone those days wanted to become a militant. For parents, it was a matter of pride that their son was a militant. I was swayed by the idea and decided to cross the border”.

Talking about his training, he said “I was trained to operate several weapons, including the AK-47. When I came back, I operated under JKLF commanders. But on September 7, 1991, a cordon was laid in Munawarabad area where I was taken into custody”.

Speaking of the tortures that he went through after his arrest, he said “Initially, we were sent to multiple interrogation centres that were infamous due to tortures perpetrated on militants or anyone held there. I spent some time in Papa I, Papa 2 and Hotel 4 in Shivpora. Those days, I had forgotten whether I was a male or a female”.

He talked about the Tihar jail where he met Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Moulana Masood Azhar. He said “I was also selected as the amir (leader) of my barrack. This was after I started my journey into Islam. I read a lot of Islamic literature in jail and Masood Azhar was my teacher. He even beat me when I would make mistakes while reading the Quran. It was only Islam that brought me back into the world”.

After his release from the jail, the life was not easy for him. He went through a lot of troubles. He said “I have driven an auto, sold ice creams and even worked as a construction worker. I knocked the doors of every Hurriyat leader, but no one was there to help. The police kept harassing my family and I was left completely helpless”.

Talking about the elections he is fighting, he said “In the Quran, it is written that if you do not do my work in this world, I will replace you with other people who would. I think Allah has granted this opportunity to me to serve him and the people of Kashmir”.