Written by QUAYUM RAJA
Fame and
popularity are two different things in my opinion. One can become famous even by committing a
senseless act, while the popularity requires special qualities and
characteristics. Lord Avebury is a
unique personality with an enormous sense of humanity and political commitment
and skills.
Lord
Avebury is a distinguished British politician. He was born on 29 September
1928. He was qualified in Upper Canada and Balliol
College Oxford
Lord Avebury chaired a Parliamentary Group on
Human Rights for many years. He is now
ill and old, but still active on human rights. Lady Avebury is a significant
support to Lord Avebury. He can hardly
walk now, but he still attended a meting on the Muslims of Burma Independence
I
first heard of Lord Avebury back in 1981 when I set up a campaign in Europe
with the help of my European fellow students to persuade the European
governments to stop India from hanging the Kashmiri leader Muhammad Maqbool
Butt, whose only crime was that he wanted his homeland reunited. I sent a letter to the London-based Amnesty
International from Germany UK
Although
my all activities were peaceful, there was a turning point in my life when a
group of young British Kashmiri kidnapped an Indian diplomat in Britain London
Lord
Avebury played an imperative role, not just to secure our release, but in our day
to day welfare in prison. For instance, when the British government classified
me as a “Top Security” prisoner, the authorities prevented me from having a
normal visits and receiving letters. I contacted Lord Avebury, which was my
first every letter to him. He replied to
me in three days enclosing a copy of a letter to the Home Secretary to which
the latter replied that I was getting too many letters and Lord Avebury should
advise me to reduce my written communication. Without consulting me, Lord
Avebury retorted the Home Secretary that Mr. Raja had no family in the UK and
telephone access and now you (the Home Secretary) is suggesting that he should
not have a sufficient communication of mail with his family either. The Home Secretary kept me High Risk until I
challenged him in the High Court 13 years later to remove this category, but I
was allowed to write as many letters as I wanted to my family and friends as a
result of Lord Avebury’s logical argument.
The ground on which I petitioned to the High Court against the Home
Secretary was annual reports by the prison authorities in which I had been
consistently described as “ a MODEL PRISONER” , while I was not treated
accordingly.
When I won the case in the European Court of
Human Rights after about 22 years, I chose to come back home, because had I
accepted the conditional stay in Britain, I could not have possibly seen my
people and country for many years to come. I love my people and romantically
beautiful country, which has been described by many European writers as “A
HEAVEN ON EARTH!” but I continue to disagree and challenge certain political
values and customs in my homeland. When
I challenged certain prison rules in the beginning of my arrest, the prison
authorities which tried to mould me remarked that: “don’t worry young man, you
will be forced to adopt gradually.” I retorted the governor that I would never
accept those rules which I see as disgraceful. The same thing happened when I
returned home. When I challenged the undemocratic values in my native culture,
certain serving politicians and their followers remarked that this political
culture would gradually force me to change myself. Now, they say “Raja sahib is not going to
give up the values he has brought with him from Britain” and when I was in
Britain, the British authorities mentioned in a report that had been conducted
after 15 years that there was no point trying to change Mr Raja, because he was
not going to give up his Islamic values.”
These are some of my experiences, which make me laugh at the wisdom and
lovers of the status quo, who exist in every culture!
When Lord Avebury heard that I received a
“HERO WELCOME” on my arrival back home, Lord Avebury and Dr Brian Iddon MP were
the first two serving British politicians, who congratulated me and wished me
good luck for the future. They predicted
how difficult it might be for me to re-adjust myself in my native culture,
which I left as a teenager 26 years earlier of which 22 were spent in
prison. Although I have not forgotten
and will never forget those compassionate people, who supported me during what
then appeared to be as the most difficult time of my life (the deaths of my son
born after my release and previously the
death of my mother and brother were even more difficult) in prison, I was
sorting out my files a few weeks back when Lord Avebury’s above mentioned
letter caught my eyes. I read it again
and felt guilty for not keeping in touch with such a compassionate political
believer. I emailed him immediately to find out of his well-being. I was still
not happy and I rang him. Lady Avebury answered the phone, who advised me to
ring a half an hour later. When I did that, Lord Avebury attended the phone
himself. I apologized for not remaining
in contact and he said he was delighted to hear again from me. I was shocked to hear when he said that his
life was going to end by July 2016 because of a blood cancer!
However,
the brave Lord Avebury seems to have reacted to the sad news very well. His
morals are still very high and he still participates in social and political
activities as much as he can. He
considers death not as something to worry or mourn about, but as a natural
process. He has always supported the
Natural Justice and therefore he will remains in the hearts and minds of the
millions around the world. He also
visited Jammu Kashmir
during the 1990s uprising. On his return
from the Valley of Kashmir , he concluded that certain Kashmiri leaders
were themselves a big problem in solution to Kashmir
question. We can not disagree. We pray
that this great human being enjoys every moment of his remaining life in this
world!
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