Mehbooba Mufti’s sister Rubaiya Sayeed has identified JKLF terrorist Yasin Malik as one of the abductors in her kidnapping in 1989. Rubaiya Sayeed identified four persons connected with the case in a TADA court in Jammu today, which included Malik.
Rubaiya Sayeed is the daughter of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who was the union home minister in the VP Singh government when she was kidnapped by the terrorists. She was then released after other terrorists were released in her exchange.
Advocates who attended the hearing confirmed that Sayeed recorded statement in the court today, and she was able to identify everyone on the basis of photographs that were made available to her during the investigation by the CBI.
Yes, she (Rubaiya Sayeed, sister of PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti) has been able to identify everyone on the basis of photographs that were made available to her during CBI investigation: Adv Anil Sethi when asked if Sayeed identified all her abductors, including Yasin Malik,from 1989 pic.twitter.com/JX0E7hDXB7
— ANI (@ANI) July 15, 2022
CBI lawyer Monica Kohli informed that Rubaiya has identified Yasin Malik and three others, and the next date of hearing has been fixed on 23rd August.
1989 kidnapping case | The statement of witness Rubaiya Sayeed (sister of PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti) was recorded in court today. She has identified (Yasin Malik). 23rd August is the next date of hearing. She has identified 4 accused in total: Monica Kohli, CBI lawyer pic.twitter.com/tJFy1GoMKi
— ANI (@ANI) July 15, 2022
Confirming the development, PDP spokesperson and advocate Anil Sethi said, “She has identified Yasin Malik. She has identified all the abductors. Yes. I cannot reveal much because proceedings are in camera. Next hearing is on the 23rd. She has been asked to be present, depending on the availability of Yasin Malik. She has stood by her statement earlier made to the CBI.”
In January 2021, the TADA court had ordered to frame charges against Malik and nine others in the kidnapping case, over 30 years after the crime. Rubaiya Sayeed was summoned by the TADA court in her own kidnapping case to record her statement. Yasin Malik, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment in a terror funding case, had also been summoned by the court.
On Wednesday, Malik appeared for the hearing through video conferencing. During the hearing, he requested the court for physical appearance for the nest hearing. TADA court is hearing two cases against him, the Rubaiya abduction case and the case of murder of four Indian Air Force officials.
Rubaiya Sayeed was kidnapped by the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front on December 8,1989. JKLF was led by Yasin Malik at that time. JKLF had kidnapped her on gunpoint demanding the release of five of its members from jail. 23-year-old Rubaiya was working as a medical intern at Lal Ded Memorial Women’s Hospital at that time.
In a controversial decision, the Farooq Abdullah led Jammu and Kashmir government at that time had agreed to the demands and had released the jailed terrorists. While Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s other daughter Mehbooba Mufti joined active politics and went on to become the chief minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Rubaiya Sayeed had been out of limelight after her release by the kidnappers on 13 December 1989.
The kidnapping and the subsequent release of five terrorists by the government was a landmark event in the history of violence in Kashmir, as it had set the stage for heightened terror and separatist activists in the region. Many people believe that had the government acted tough, terrorism would not have flourished so much in the state. It is notable that Farooq Abdullah had claimed he was threatened by the central govt with dismissal if the jailed militants were not released in exchange of the union home minister’s daughter.
