The Last Testament

10 Moulana Azad Road
Srinagar, Kashmir.

My dear countrymen,

At a stage when I am busy fighting the last battle of my life, the biggest asset I possess is your enormous love and sincerity that I always received from you. I have never feared death. It has been my faith that death is not a trial for a true believer. It is an inexplicable feeling of getting closer to the Creator and then accepting it with a smile. I therefore salute you all who are tearful for me.

When I commenced my political journey, I was not aware that I would receive so much love and faith from my countrymen. That was a dark era when the mightiest would tremble with fear. But even in those dark nights, you all illuminated my paths with the lamps of your sacrifices. Old, young, and children alike were martyred fighting the war I was leading for freedom. I have always felt the warmth of their blood in my veins. The loud cries and shrieks of the mothers, sisters, and daughters of those martyrs have continuously haunted and hurt me. For years, I have shed tears of blood in their grief and kept aloft the torches they lit, adding my own sacrifices to theirs. I have heard the voices of those martyrs in the loneliness of my squalid prison cell and listened to their resounding whispers about the past, present, and future of our nation. But that pain, anguish, and those tears were my own. Like a protective, loving father, I tried my best to ensure that the new generation of our nation did not suffer the same agony and deprivation. At times, I did feel a sense of despair and despondency. I felt that perhaps the goals were too distant and the flow of my blood had slowed down. But what always propelled me forward with new vigor and vitality was your unending love. I spent sleepless nights praying to Allah to give me an opportunity to serve my people and restore their lost honor, pride, and well-being. Allah answered many of my prayers. My nation, which had developed a sense of defeat and desperation, started moving forward again with its head held high.

When tomorrow’s historians record the contemporary history, they won’t have to isolate Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah from Kashmir, but wherever and whenever the name of my motherland is mentioned, my soul will stir in acknowledgment. I want to emphasize that my relationship with this land is not momentary but will last for times to come. It is an eternal bond that is unbreakable. This bonding will not remain limited only to my earthly remains. My fearlessness and my courage to speak the truth will always inspire and warm the blood of my nation. My voice will resound against the mighty mountains and arouse my people to act with purpose and determination. For centuries after I am gone, the sounds of my footsteps will reverberate in valleys and meadows because I led my people at a time when hopelessness and misery had become their fate. It was a divine task assigned by nature to me, and I fulfilled it to the best of my ability.

It is true that I wanted to serve my nation a little longer, but He willed otherwise. We all shall have to bow our heads to His judgment. I never claimed to be a savior. I was like a traveler in a sinking ship entrusted with a job to propel it. With all my strength, I resisted the fury of menacing tides to keep the boat afloat. There will be many storms ahead on our way and many instances of character assassination, disharmony, and betrayal, and on such occasions, you will remember me and miss me. Therefore, I emphasize through my last testament that only and only the National Conference must be strengthened. It is the party that has provided a shade of security to our nation like a massive and deep-rooted tree and inculcated in us a sense of self-respect, pride, self-confidence, and faith in Allah. This is the party that willingly swallowed the venom that our past deprivation and denial had accumulated. I have nursed this plant with my blood, and its existence guarantees the resilience of your national identity. If you want to maintain your existence, then you shall have to uphold and honor your covenant of unity at all costs.

I am leaving behind this legacy for you. If you want to see me living eternally, then you shall have to associate yourselves with this party. My existence is interlinked with its existence. The best and most effective expression of your love and devotion for me would be if you always remain committed to its expansion and advancement and don’t hesitate to offer whatever sacrifices it may demand. This is my last wish, and I am hopeful that you all will respect it. May Allah shelter you under His benign peace and protection?

Goodbye, my country. Goodbye, my children of the land. May Allah be your helper and grant you victory.

(Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah)