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14 June 26 to July 2 : Weekly News Magazine messenger

COVER STORY

By marching down the streets with dissent tunes, the a foot soldier of the Plebiscite Movement. She advocated
schoolgirls lately created nostalgia about Kashmir’s ace against the policies she felt threatened the Kashmir’s
dissenter of yore—Zoona Bibi Mujahid—who still assumes an democratic ideals. By the time she died, Bibi Mujahid had
unforgettable legendary stature in Kashmir’s dissent history. become a symbol of the power of peaceful popular
movements.
Some 70 years before the likes of Tawakkol Karman, a 32- Born in Pathar Masjid area of Srinagar near Mujahid Manzil
year-old woman activist would pressurise the Yemeni (MM), National Conference’s erstwhile HQ, Bibi Mujahid grew
President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, long before up with the spirit of protest coursed through her veins early in
Tunisia’s revolution started a domino effect in the Arab world, a life. As a girl in early-19th century Old Srinagar, she would play
fiery Kashmiri woman would mount the same pressure on the with children outside of the Pather Masjid. By the late 1930s,
Dogra ruler of Kashmir, from the sprawling lawns of Hazratbal. she encountered Sheikh Abdullah in MM circles. Along with
Her words were no different from the Tunisian revolution: ‘The fellow women protesters, she became Abdullah’s regular
people want the regime to fall.’ audience.
That was the time when Kashmir was rallying behind Quit
Kashmir Movement against the Dogra rule. The last monarch Later as these supporters paced up their ‘Go Dogra, Go’
Hari Singh responded with Sheikh Abdullah’s incarceration. It campaign, police arrested them. Even after facing tough
was then, that a peaceful revolution across Srinagar started. detention, she continued her activities. Amid World War II,
Emotional supporters came out in droves to support the Zoona emerged a key figure in the NC circles, who would
movement aimed at ousting the Dogra Raj. press the central committee to kick-start the movements in
At the heart of the woman revolt was Zoona Bibi Mujahid, who 1940s.
took significant strides toward democracy, including becoming Fondly known as Zoona Goor Bai, children in parts of