AT the age of 75, Gul Wani recites poems that he had penned in the memory of his missing son Imtiyaz Ahmad, a government employee, who was abducted by a group of counter-insurgents from his Ikrajpora residence. Though Wani has lost his faith in the government, but still believes that his son will return one day. Wani was himself a government employee who had managed a government job for his only son in the forest department. Imtiyaz religiously followed his duties at the office as well as at home. While Wani left the job and started writing poems, visiting Sufi saints and shrines. The family was living a happy life until 1996, when a group of counter-insurgents forcibly made their entry in to the house of Wanis. "It was 10 pm when the counter-insurgents entered my house and took away my son," said Wani. He said the abduction was a conspiracy, hatched on the behest of some Ikhwanis of the locality. "The counter-insurgents were wearing Army uniform. But they were all locals," Wani said. Before leaving the house, the counter-insurgents assured Wani that they will set his son free unharmed. "We waited till the night, but my son was not released." he said.Next day, relatives of Wani lodged an FIR at the Ragbagh Police Station. Wani met senior police officials and sought their help. "I was told by the officers that my son is in Budgam. But the next day the officers told me that he is in Srinagar," he said. "I searched for him everywhere. But failed to locate him," Wani said. He added that even the officers of the department, where Imtiyaz was employed, met the senior government officials but they too failed to bring him back. Desperate to get his young son back, Wani was cheated by some counter-insurgents, who promised him to bring back his son. "An Ikhwani (counter-insurgent), Muma Bhat duped me of Rs 35,000 by promising me to bring my son back," he said. After Bhat took the money from Wani he never turned up. "Another person also took away some money from me. Now I am left with no money," he said. At the age of 75, now Wani finds it difficult to run his family affairs. "I don't have enough money to keep the fire of my kitchen alive," he said. In order to locate his son, Wani even met former J-K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and senior NC leader Ali Mohammad Sager. "Leaders tried to avoid me," he said, adding that the leaders were helping the counter-insurgents, responsible for the abduction of his son. Taking the advantage of the family's poverty, some politicians tried to offer money, but the family refused to accept it. "They (government officials) asked us to take Rs one lakh as compensation. I don't need money, I want my son alive," he said. The old man visits every shrine and prays for his son's safe return. "I am sure my son is alive and he will come back to us," Wani said.
