The Chairman Jammu Kashmir Peoples League and senior APHC leader, Sheikh Abdul Aziz (1952 – August 11, 2008), who was strong advocate of Right to Self-Determination of Kashmiri people and believed that an Independent plebiscite under UN supervision can bring long lasting peace in South-Asia was assassinated by of Indian Paramilitary Forces on August 11, 2008 in Uri in Baramilla while leading a peaceful public demonstration against the ‘economic blockade’ of the Kashmir by Indian Hindu extremist groups with the tacit support of the Indian government.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz was a pro-freedom politician. He had been jailed on several occasions for demanding birth right. He is one of the prominent pro-freedom leader to have been killed and the second chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s League killed by the Indian Paramilitary Forces. Earlier, Abdul Hamid Wani popularly known as S Hamid was killed in a staged encounter on April 19, 1998 at Ahmad Nagar on the outskirts of Srinagar.
With his assassination, Aziz emerged as new ‘martyr’ of Kashmiri Right to Self-Determination in league with Maqbool Bhat and caused a serious blow to the Kashmir conflict.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz was born in 1952 in Namblabal in Pampore. He received basic education from Government School Pampore and then passed Matriculation from Government High School Pampore. Soon after passing his Matriculation examination, Aziz joined agriculture business of his father Sheikh Abdul Salam, including growing high yield saffron, for which his hometown is famous throughout the Kashmir valley.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz in his early teens watched moe-e-muqqadus movement when millions of Kashmiris came out on streets against the mysterious theft of highly revered holy relic of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) from the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar. The agitation soon transformed into pro-freedom public outpouring with millions of Kashmiris demanding freedom from Indian rule.
Moe-e-Muqqadas movement renewed decades old Kashmiri demands for freedom, giving inspiration to a new generation of Kashmiris including Sheikh Aziz got emotionally attached with the liberation movement of Kashmir. He started his political career as a student leader and worked with many students and youth organizations to pursue the cause of Kashmir's Right to Self-Determination. In 1972 he joined pro-freedom political group Young Men’s League that called for the Kashmiri right to self-determination according to the UN Resolutions. At that he was just 20 years old.
His peaceful political activities soon came under the scanner of police. His first arrest came at the age of 20 when he was booked under the infamous and draconian National Security Act. At that time, he was the Block Secretary of the organisation.
In 1973 the Young Man’s League, Students Federation, Islamic Organization and Youth League merged into other pro-freedom groups forming the Jammu and Kashmir People’s League to which Aziz remained associated with until his death.
He went underground in 1982–1983, at that time he was holding the responsibility of District President for Pulwama (Peoples league). In 1986 he became the general secretary of the People’s League, the responsibility he carried on till 1990, when amid massive public resentment against the Indian rule; he amicably joined the armed struggle in an endeavour to highlight the Kashmir cause globally and to show the world that Kashmiri people want to live with self respect and dignity and as free people in the comity of nations. He became the chief commander of Al-Jihad, a formidable militant group in early 1990s that was supported by his parent organisation, Jammu and Kashmir People’s League.
In 1998 he was taken as APHC executive member and forward his struggle for the unfettered and globally recognized right of self determination on political front and spend almost 16 years of his life in different prisons and interrogation centers.
Due to his involvement with the pro-freedom struggle, Sheikh Aziz spent more than 16 years in prison under various charges including agitation, demanding birth right etc. His longest spell of imprisonment came on 21 May, 1993 when he was arrested and was released on 27 September 2000.
Following his release after nearly nine years, Aziz re-joined political struggle but was again arrested on 1 August 2001 for nearly three years and released in February 2004. However, a year later, he was again arrested on 5 February 2005 and released only last November, 2007. After his release reiterated his demand for peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
However, during mass agitation against the illegal transfer of Kashmiri land to a non-Kashmiris named as Hindu Shrine Board, Aziz along with other Hurriyet leaders took a strong stand, keeping in view the strong public sentiment against it.
Only days before his assassination, Aziz was also working for unity among hurriyet leaders and parties in Kashmir for Azadi.
On 11 August 2008 the “Muzaffarabad chalo” call was given by the Hurriyat Conference and some other organisations against the 'economical blockade' of Kashmir valley by Hindu extremist groups in Jammu. Processions were taken out from various areas across the valley. Sheikh Aziz and Shabir Shah were leading the march from Sopore towards the Muzaffarabad, when their rally was stopped by the massive force of police and army at Chala, near Boniyar in Uri in Baramullah. Indian Paramilitary forces opened fire at Chahal, 25 km away from the town of Uri, to disperse the massive march. Sheikh Abdul Aziz along with many others were critically injured. All the critically injured were shifted to Srinagar's SMHS hospital, where Shiekh Abdul Aziz succumbed to injuries. He was buried in Marty's Graveyard in Eidgah, Srinagar on 12 August 2008 in which lakhs of people paid tributes to the martyred leader.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz is the second chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s League to have been killed by the paramilitary forces. Earlier, Abdul Hamid Wani popularly known as S Hamid was killed in a staged encounter on April 19, 1998 at Ahmad Nagar on the outskirts of Srinagar. With his brutal death, Aziz will emerge as new ‘martyr’ of Kashmiri cause in league with Mohammad Maqbool Bhat was hanged to death in India’s infamous Tihar Jail on Feb 11 1984