00:00For the people who don't know much about this place where I'm standing right now,
00:18Gupkar is not just a posh locality in Srinagar, but also an epicenter of Kashmir's turbulent
00:25history.
00:27This place has seen rise and fall of many political families.
00:32From the palace of last Dogra ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh, to the plush
00:38official bungalows of Abdullahs and Muftis, Gupkar has withstood all political storms
00:45and nature's vagaries.
01:15When I was very young, our district president was Haji Ghulam Nibi.
01:24May Allah forgive him.
01:27Sheikh Sahib used to always tell him to take care of his workers.
01:32He didn't tell him to do it for money.
01:35He used to tell him to go home if someone was ill.
01:40I have seen this.
01:43When I fell ill, I went to Dr. Khoro, who took care of me.
01:56When I had a heart attack, Dr. Khoro gave me a lot of strength.
02:02I used to do whatever he used to order me to do.
02:06When the election for Sheikh Mohammad Shamim came, the Begum Sahab told us to vote for him.
02:14But he was a traitor, and you know what happened to him.
02:18He was a traitor to the people who were with Farooq Sahib and Sheikh Sahib.
02:24I have a bigger problem than this at home.
02:27What is this? What kind of a movement is this?
02:29The chief minister who has been the chief minister so many times,
02:36he should have a palace, a very big palace.
02:39So that he doesn't go blind.
02:41One room goes out of business, the other room goes out of business.
02:44This is not a palace.
02:46It should be a palace that should reach half the sky.
02:54But look, everyone from your mosque sees that if Farooq Sahib looted,
03:04Sheikh Sahib looted, Omar Sahib looted,
03:08then you see for yourself, you won't have any complaints.
03:15During the rule of King Gopaditya in 4th century BC,
03:19this hill was known as Gopadari or Gopa.
03:24The king brought Brahmins to Kashmir and gave them dwelling units or Agrahars
03:29and this place came to be known as Gopa Agrahar.
03:33Gradually, Gopa Agrahar became to be known as Gupkar.
03:39I think it's the possibly over a period of time what has happened is that
03:42it is the place where most of the power people who have governed
03:48or been part of the administrations or politics of Jammu and Kashmir
03:52for a long, long time have tended to gravitate and stay there.
03:56So it has become a kind of a place where it is almost like you have a similar place in Washington DC.
04:04You have a similar place where the top officials live, for instance in Delhi, the Lutyens of Delhi.
04:10This is where it's like a power center where most people associated with politics.
04:16It's not a power center, it's people who are associated with the politics and government
04:22have tended to stay here more than others.
04:24Not only them, there are people from the intelligence headquarters.
04:29It's right next to the main cantonment.
04:32It's next to where the Maharaja used to stay.
04:35So not from now, from times, it is an area where people have tended to stay.
04:39Gupkar has always remained a highly sought after residential area for the families close to the power in different periods of time.
04:58Until the Dogra rule, Gupkar was a scenic landscape and sparsely populated.
05:04However, after 1960s, a lot of houses and government offices mushroomed in the area,
05:11adversely telling upon the scenic grandeur of the area.
05:18In the post-independence era, Gupkar witnessed a lot of political action.
05:24In 1953, the popular government of the then Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah was dismissed by former Sadr-e-Riyasat Dr. Karan Singh.
05:35Sheikh was sent to jail.
05:38In 1984, Dr. Farooq Abdullah took over as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
05:45His government was toppled by none other than his brother-in-law Ghulam Mohammed Shah.
05:51Two years later, Shah's government was dismissed and Farooq Abdullah once again reclaimed the power of the Jammu and Kashmir government.
06:00Gupkar has been in trouble since the time of Sheikh Mohammed.
06:04He was in jail for 21 years.
06:07He was the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir at that time.
06:11The government of the Congress made him the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
06:16He made promises to Sheikh Mohammed.
06:19But the time has passed.
06:22Our only hope is that the government of Jammu and Kashmir will come to an end.
06:28The government of Jammu and Kashmir will come to an end.
06:31Our Chief Justice was our own.
06:34The Chief Justice was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
06:37The President of Jammu and Kashmir was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
06:40The President of Jammu and Kashmir was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
06:43The President of Jammu and Kashmir was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
06:46The President of Jammu and Kashmir was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
06:49The President of Jammu and Kashmir was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
06:52The President of Jammu and Kashmir was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
06:55When the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
06:58when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:01when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:04when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:07when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:10when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:13when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:16when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:19when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:22when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:25when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:28when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:31when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:34when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:37when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:40when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:43when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:46when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:49when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:52when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:55when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
07:58when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
08:01when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
08:04when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
08:07when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
08:10when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
08:13when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
08:16when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
08:19when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
08:22when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
08:25when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
08:28when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
08:31when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
08:34when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
08:37when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
08:40when the government of Jammu and Kashmir was not in power,
08:43Don't miss out. Log on to OneIndia.com for more updates.
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