Bulbulshah's treasure: Renzu demands recreation of fact-finding committee, return of artifacts

Srinagar, Feb 24: Chairman Kashmir Society Farooq Renzu Shah on Wednesday demanded that the committee, which was formed to find the facts about the treasure of Hazrat Bulbulshah that was allegedly looted in 1937 while it was being brought to Kashmir, should be recreated and the artifacts should be returned.

The fact-finding committee by the J&K Assembly ceased to exist after August 5, 2019, when the Centre abrogated article 370 and Article 35 A, besides divided the erstwhile state into two Union Territories.

'Communist and Autocratic lobby operating with aid of Berlin and Russian Guns in Kashmir in 1937 captured one Carvaan of Devotees of Bulbulshah at Domail, Chungi post after they arrived through Khanjreeb Border of Kashgar and Kashmir. The most revered devotee Mohammad Moheeti of Kashgar who entered Kashmir along nine trunks of jewels, Pearls, Gold, and diamonds, which belonged to Hazrat Bulbulshah from 1321 century, was ancestral Amaanat with General Moheeti of Kashgar,' Renzu said in a statement issued here on Wednesday.

'Stalin had killed around 400 Kashgar Hanafi students in Russia. General Moheeti of Kashgar, Yarkand, therefore, apprehended Bulbushah’s treasure in Kashgar will be taken over by Stalin forces in Kashgar. He, therefore, decided to deposit it in the holy Khanqah of Bulbulshah near Safa Kadal,' he said.

'The news of this capture was properly reported and published in the Daily Statesman the Only National Level paper in 1937 with certain censorship also because of Russian fear and can be checked to find facts. These nine trunks full of precious jewels were taken to the Toshakhana (special government treasury). Since then conspiracies have been hatched to either loot them or Gift them to politicians,' he said.

Renzu said, 'The most alarming fact is that in 1963 without any consent from Holy Bulbulshah Trust or Mufti Azam of Kashmir two trunks number 7 and 9 were donated to the then prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru at Teen Murti for his act of surrendering hundreds of kilometers to China.'

Renzu, who is also the chairman of Hazrat Bulbulshah Trust, appealed that the team headed by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir should find the 'reason of such illegal donations made to Nehru' and whether all the contents of these two trunks have been recorded or not.

The other seven trunks have been illegally, without any consent, opened at Cabinet rooms in 1976 and 1983 following which Karan Singh, son of Hari Singh filed a claim for the treasure in J&K High Court. 'But the then chief justice R C Gandhi dismissed the claim as daily Statesman reported clearly that it was brought from Kashgar and captured at Domel which proves that Trunks were brought from Kashgar in 1937 at fag end of British and Maharaja's rule, therefore, it can't be his ancestral property. Domel Chungi records of 1937 proved its Kashgar connection,' he said.

'When Assemblies were functioning, the Legislature committee was established on our persistent demands to find facts of the treasure and find out how conspiracies to loot it were hatched,' he said.

He said the artifacts should be returned to the trust on 700th Urs of Hazrat Bulbulshah and Hazrat Mir Syed Bilad e Rumi.