ME AND MAULANA: A PERSONAL RECOLLECTION OF WAHIDUDDIN KHAN - John M. Butt

has described his visit as great spiritual experience when he looks at lush green forests, snow clad mountains, swiftly flowing silver streams. When he describes this, it reminds me a famous quote of Albert Einstein “Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better.” Kashmir is virtually an abode of Peace and spirituality, that is why it has been home of great Sufis and Saints. It was Maulana’s dream of life to see Kashmir transforming into real Paradise of Peace and spirituality. Maulana has been a prolific writer on Kashmir. He himself has mentioned that he has been writing about Kashmir issue since 1968. If my writings for the last 35 years were to be collected they would form a voluminous Book. He dedicated many special numbers of his widely read monthly magazine Al-Risala, to Kashmir. In 1914, Maulana issued a special edition titled “Peace In Kashmir,” which addresses Kashmir issue at greater length with all its historical context and background. The book evoked overwhelming response in Kashmir. This book is a historical document of great academic significance for a serious student of history. It discusses at length how both Palestine as well as Kashmir ultimately turned out to be an opportunity lost that could have resolved the issue once and for all, due to sheer lack of practical approach on the part of Arab as well as Pakistani leaderships He makes special mention of Belfour Declaration of 1917 in this regard, that dealt with the partition of Palestine, and then he reminds his readers of Kashmir, where again historical blunders were committed by incompetent Pakistani leadership which further complicated the issue. Here he quotes from two important books:(a) The