User:Wagoora

With an enchanting landscape Wagoora is a historical town and considered as second-seat of civil administration in Baramulla district of north Kashmir in Indian Administered Kashmir. The landlocked town is located 10 kilometers southwest of Baramulla district and 47 kilometers northwest of Srinagar-the summer capital of Indian Administered Kashmir. Wagoora has officially remained a sub-district of Baramulla since 1978 after Government of Jammu and Kashmir set up an Agrarian Tehsil in the town, which is surrounded by over 83 villages. Wagoora has produced great intellectuals, scholars and politicians and providing great intellectual impetus to the growth of Jammu and Kashmir. Wagoora has produced noted personalities like mathematician, Gayyas-ud-Din Wani, former Indian Institute of India, New Delhi professor, Engineer Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Malla, Physicist Mohammad Assadullah Rather, India’s youngest civil services officer, Gulzar Ahmad Wani (then 23 years old), Showkat Ahmad Parray (IAS), politician Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, religious scholar Shams-ud-Din Ateeqi and Nazir Ahmad Zargar, Botanist Naseer Ahmad Rather and many well known doctors like Dr Zeeshan Wani (DM Gastroenterology), Dr Asif Wani (DM Nephrology), other civil service officers, journalists and writers, Farooq Wagoori and Samaan Lateef. Located on the banks of Ningli, a tributary of River Jhelum, the population of Wagoora town is more than 30,000 and an area of 56.7 square kilometres. Ningli is the only source of irrigation and drinking water to Wagoora town, which includes villages located on high-altitudes like in north Naji-Bhat, Khaitangan, Takiya and in southeast Kreeri, Doolipora and Sheikhpora. Wagoora town is the centre to cater to the socio-economic and politico-social needs of this vast area of Ningli region of North Kashmir. Wagoora is the quality apple producing town of the Kashmir along with Sopore and Shopian.

Militancy:- Wagoora witnessed the first militancy incident in Kashmir in September 1989, when alleged militants fired on the house of a fruit merchant, Bashir Ahmad Shah son of Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Shah and killed his wife and two daughters while wounding him and two other children. The militants allegedly fired into the bedroom of Bashir Ahmad Shah in the midnight and killed half of his family. The then Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah visited the family on next day and assured justice to the family. While the victims were given ex-gratia relief and employment, the incident still is remembered one of the dreaded attack on a Muslim family in late 80s. Subsequently Government established a police post to guard the family which is still there. Bashir Ahmad Shah is cousin brother of decorated retired deputy superintendent of police, Shabir Ahmad Shah, who served as DySP Shopian to control the situation when two girls, Asiya and Neelofar were raped and murdered in May 29-30, 2009. Background:- The earliest traces of human settlements in the Wagoora town date back to the 3rd millennium BC. However, Lawrence in vale of Kashmir spells Wagoora as Wagura and describes it one of the prosperous towns of the Kashmir valley in 1896. With a very rich cultural legacy, Wagoora has been the birthplace of many widely-read personalities and poets. Among these some have made their mark across the international literary circles. Worth mentioning are Manzoor Hashmi, Farooq Wagoori, Sarwar Hashmi whose literary works are being taught in the curriculum of Jammu and Kashmir Board. Because of immense contribution to the literature of Kashmir, Wagoora has also been the seat of religious learning and the center for the Islamic guidance. People from all across this region used to visit this place to seek guidance.