Kh. Abdul Samad Wani

Who was Kh. Abdul Samad Wani?

Kh. Abdul Samad Wani (2 October 1935 – 31 December 2001) was a famous Kashmiri journalist, chief editor and politician. He was born in Safapora, Jammu and Kashmir and died in Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir. He was the owner of the largest weekly newspapers named Weekly Kasheer and Weekly Azad Kashmir. He was the special advisor to the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir at the time of his death.

Early Life:

Kh. Abdul Samad Wani was born in Safapora, Jammu and Kashmir on 2 October 1935, he was arrested for the first time in 1950 for demonstrating against India and in favour of Pakistan on the visit of Sir Ovan Dixon to occupied Kashmir. He was detained at Kothi Bagh police station in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir for one month. Following his release, he crossed the Line of Control in August 1950 and got settled in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, where he married to Hafeezah Samad Wani and has 4 children, Athar Masood Wani, Zafar Mahmood Wani, Aamir Wani and Aamra Samad, he is also the paternal granduncle as well as maternal granduncle of Saaki, who is an Indian film actor, production manager, model, martial artist, politician, religious preacher and scholar of comparative religion who works in Bollywood films.

Political Career:

Kh. Abdul Samad Wani was the owner of newspaper Weekly Kasheer, which is being published regularly for the last 35 years and is popular not only on both sides of the Line of Control but also among the Kashmiris settled around the world. In 1986, he also launched the english language newspaper Weekly Azad Kashmir, which is also appearing regularly.

He was permanent member of the APNS and the CPNE and had also been elected member of the Executive Council of the two organizations several times.

Besides, Kh. Abdul Samad Wani was one of the leading Muslim Conference leader and a staunch advocate of Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan.

He enjoyed personal relations with Muslim leaders as well as Hindu leaders, high ranking government servants, journalists and opinion builders in both parts of the divided state and was regarded as an authority on history, geography, culture, traditions, languages and political movements of Kashmir. He was also popular among the Mujahideen groups fighting for Kashmir’s freedom from India.

Although he was the confidant of Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas and held key positions in Muslim Conference, he never accepted any government office over the past five decades; and it was for the first time when he agreed to join the government on the insistence of Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan and Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan and was appointed as special advisor to the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir on media, political affairs and Kashmir Liberation Cell on 1 September 2001.

Death:

Family sources said he developed serious chest pain at midnight and was rushed to the Combined Military Hospital, Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir where he died at about 3.45am on 31 December 2001 following a severe heart attack.

His funeral prayers were offered in Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir at 9.30am on 31 December 2001 and were attended by a large number of people, including Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan. His coffin was draped in the AJK Flag. The Government of Azad Kashmir declared a holiday in the capital on monday 31 December 2001 to mourn his death. Kh. Abdul Samad Wani is survived by his wife, three sons and a married daughter.