In a significant turn of events, Sama Shabir, the daughter of prominent Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah, has publicly declared her allegiance to Bharat and distanced herself from any association with separatist groups operating in the region. She has been quoted as saying in an advertisement issued in a Srinagar newspaper: “I am a loyal citizen of India and I am not affiliated with any person or organisation which is against the sovereignty of the Union of India. I am not associated with the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) or its ideology in any way,’’ Sama Shabir stated. She cautioned that legal action would be taken against anyone linking her to the separatist group in any manner.
Shabir Shah has been in jail since 2017, when he was arrested by the National Investigative Agency (NIA) over a case of alleged money laundering linked to terror financing. In 2005, a man named Aslam Wani was arrested by Delhi Police carrying large amounts of cash, purportedly meant to be taken to Shah for DFP activities.
Sama was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in April 2019, but she had not appeared before the agency officers. She had said that she was in England (at Manchester) studying law. It is not clear whether she joined the ED proceedings later or not.
As if not to be left behind, Ruwa Shah, grand-daughter of the late SAS Geelani, the face of secessionism for a long time, also purportedly issued an identical statement in a newspaper. Ruwa, daughter of Altaf Shah, alias Fantoosh, has said that she has no inclination or sympathy towards Hurriyat Conference helmed by Geelani.
Fantoosh was a close associate of his father-in-law Geelani, and allegedly handled most of his money. In July 2017, Fantoosh was arrested by the National Investigative Agency (NIA) in a money laundering case along with six others. After that, he was lodged in the Tihar jail and was diagnosed with renal cancer. He was initially admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital but later shifted to AIIMS Delhi, where he died in October 2022.
Interestingly, there is no mention of Ruwa Shah’s purported statement on her X account, @ShahRuwa. There are no recent posts, but some of those posted earlier over the years are clearly anti-national, eulogise Geelani, and downright secessionist. In a post on September 3, 2021, she writes: Aba’s death is a collective loss. Our family deserved to conduct the last rites. We did not deserve harassment, threats, and scuffles. #SyedAliShahGeelani. At 10 pm on Thursday, the account @ShahRuwa showed 8,573 posts.
Another post from May 5, 2020, says: Tum UAPA lagaoge, hum Pulitzer kamaake aayenge. All photojournalists in Kashmir deserve all the praise and recognition in the world. A post from June 28, 2020, reads: There army kills our young. Blinds our children. They take our land. Make us a minority in our own place. Jail our women. Mute our media. Take our peace away. Make us psychologically ill. That is what India does in Kashmir.
An older post, from September 29, 2019, when Geelani turned 90, says: Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Aba, turns 90 today. May his voice for the freedom of Kashmir keep roaring and rising. May he see the bright day when our nation will be free from the tyrants. May he see, an Azaad Jammu and Kashmir. #GeelaniTurns90 #FreeKashmir
Does posting a small, unsigned advertisement in a Srinagar based newspaper do all that is needed to wash away the sins of over 20 years? Is it a tactical move less than skin deep, shallow, and meant to hoodwink security agencies? Or is it a genuine penance that Sama Shabir and Ruwa Shah have started in the holy month of Ramzan? Can these be called the aftershocks of the post-Article 370 abrogation? With space for anti-national behaviour getting smothered, more such things may be in the offing.
Incidentally, former CM Mehbooba Mufti gave dozens of statements in favour of these two in the past. However, no political leader of any consequence has said a word about this development. The stories about the purported denouncement of separatist ideology are doing the rounds on WhatsApp groups in Kashmir, as well as in Jammu.
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