15th August, 1981
Respected Ghulam Sarwar Sahib,
Assalamu Alaikum,
I hope that you and the rest of our friends and companions are all well. Your letter dated 23rd June, along with the kind note from my brother Aman Sahib dated 29th June, both reached me together on the blessed occasion of Eid al-Fitr. Thank you very much for remembering me. I pray that Allah Almighty grants prosperity to your business and blesses you with ever-increasing ability and strength in your efforts to achieve the goals for which you are striving in a foreign land.
The advice you’ve given regarding pursuing legal action in the Supreme Court against my “sentence” could take the form of filing a writ petition in this matter. I cannot say with certainty what the outcome will be, but I believe the effort is worth trying. My younger brother came to meet me in mid-July. We discussed this matter as well. I had advised him to initiate preliminary action by consulting a few of his lawyer friends in Srinagar. But what can I tell you? Even my signed Vakalatnama¹ hasn’t yet managed to reach them.
Let me come directly to the point. I am grateful to you for your offer to bear the expenses of filing the writ in the Supreme Court. You’re surely aware that in this part of the world, everything except man has reached the peaks of inflation. I estimate that the legal proceedings we are contemplating will cost somewhere between 15 and 20 thousand rupees. No senior lawyer at the Supreme Court here charges less than 3,000 rupees per hearing. Then there are additional costs for paperwork and assistants.
Another point to consider is that even if the Supreme Court or the President of India decides to reduce my present “sentence”, the case being tried behind my back for years in Srinagar will also need to be challenged in the High Court. That too will certainly incur a substantial cost. For this next stage of legal battle—which I have alluded to—competent lawyers will be required.
So, if possible, please arrange at least 20,000 rupees for now, and either send it in the name of my brother Ghulam Nabi, or, if that is not feasible for some reason, then send it directly to me at the jail address either via bank draft or through whatever method you find suitable. Once I receive your response, further steps can be taken in this regard. If you think any other procedure would be better, do inform me—since my contact with the outside world is, at best, minimal.
Brother Aman Sahib mentioned a lengthy letter he had written last December. I have not received it till now, and nor do I expect it to arrive anymore.
Please convey my condolences to the family and survivors of Nambardar Sahib on his passing. May Allah Almighty grant the departed soul a place in His Mercy, and bless the bereaved with the strength of patience and gratitude. Kindly offer my greetings to respected mother, and also to Parveen Bhabi. For the little girl, please convey all my love.
My health is completely fine. I am still lodged in Ward No. 16. The dominant assumption is that, in light of the outcry raised against the proposed execution of my “sentence”, the matter has been put on hold for now. What lies ahead is for Allah to decide. I have mentally prepared myself for every kind of situation, and I seek your prayers that in these final stages of trial, Allah Most High may keep me firm in patience and perseverance—and that no slip or lapse may occur on my part in this journey.
Wassalam,
In need of your prayers,
Muhammad Maqbool Bhat
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1. Vakalatnama: A legal document authorising a lawyer to act on someone’s behalf in court.
