Are you important?

 Are you important? 

Some people think they are invincible. Some others consider them to be very important and popular. 

Another class of people believe they have good contacts and hold special relationship with friends and colleagues. 

Some of us give most of our time to issues related the community or a national cause, hoping that the community will benefit and praise the effort. 

Whether the community benefits and praise the effort or not let me leave this on one side; and let me explain who suffers most in this unappreciated struggle: 

your parents, wife and children.

 

You could not find sufficient time for them, yet they were the special people in your life. 

I have also given most of my time ,since 1973, to my national struggle and sacrificed my career. Apart from that, at one time, because of the JKLF I got involved in activities which could have resulted in many years of imprisonment. 

I have authored 70 books and booklets on issues related to the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir. My most recent books, published in the last two months are: 

1/ Legal Status of Jammu and Kashmir – Realisation of Bitter Facts 

2/ How Azad is Azad Kashmir Government. 

I have attended, and organised dozens of international conferences on Jammu and Kashmir; addressed conferences in the UN Human Council in Geneva, anchored a TV programme on Kashmir for 4 years, and gave hundreds of TV interviews. 

I am also very active social media activist, with around 40,000 following, which include followers from Twitter, Gmail, Facebook, individuals, Groups I manage and my page. 

Because of what I did, I and my family suffered immensely. I don’t want to enumerate my financial losses; sad thing is that I could not even travel with a dead body of my father; and I cannot visit a place where I was born. 

As a social media activist, I normally send 4-5 post daily, and sometimes more than that. I keep my followers busy with posts on different topics, not only on Jammu and Kashmir, but on other issues which may be of interest to them. My purpose is to provide them with knowledge and educate them. 

On last Monday, I had excruciating pain just below the ribs. It was extremely intolerable and very tormenting. Ambulance came and they decided to take me to hospital. Since Covid 19, general perception in our community in England is that people with other ailments (like I have heart condition with 5 stents and one lung 80% dead), they come back in a box, as they have become a burden on the state. 

However, we had no choice as the pain was unendurable. Once in the ambulance, I discovered that my wife and daughter cannot go with me. I believed I will not survive, and sad thing was I could not even say Allah hafiz to my wife and daughter. 

I was diagnosed with a serious infection in my Gall Bladder. I was given two kinds of anti-biotics, general only one is given for infections. In total, I was taking 33 tablets daily, including my normal medicine. 

From Monday to Wednesday evening, every hour, I thought could be my last hour. No email, no Facebook, no twitter, no discussion of any kind on phone as I was not in a position. 

Thank Allah SWT, with prayers of my wife, daughters and sons in law, slowly I started recovering. After this very difficult time, I had this satisfaction in my mind that my friends, followers, well-wishers, those who read and appreciate what I post must have missed my absence and realised that there was something wrong.

 

On Wednesday, I used my mobile for 5 minutes, and to my surprise, there was only one message from a lady who married in to our family. Her husband, my nephew, is a solicitor and his wife is a school teacher. Message was:

 

Uncle, Salam. I have not seen any post from you for the past 3 days. That is not normal. I hope you are OK.

 

On Friday, I had a similar message from respected Abbas Butt, my friend and a political colleague. 

Rational of this is: care for those who are really special, your parents, wife and children. 

I shall be taking my last dose of anti-biotics, I feel much better today, however, the knock my system has endured in the last 7-8 days will take weeks to recover. 

May be you are very important, but do look after yourself and those who deserve your attention.