In order to avoid going on an indefinite hunger strike, Yasin Malik, the leader of the outlawed Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), asked a special court in Jammu on Wednesday for permission to appear physically in a case involving the kidnapping of former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed’s daughter Rubaiya.
They stated that Malik, who is serving a life sentence in a case involving the funding of terrorism, appeared in court through video conference.
Malik said he had written to the authorities to request a physical court appearance.
He also disclosed before the court that he had asked for the opportunity to question witnesses directly and threatened to go on a hunger strike if his request was denied by the government.
The case relates to Rubaiya Sayeed’s abduction on December 8, 1989. Five days later, on December 13, she was released from prison when the then-V P Singh government, which was backed by the BJP at the Center, exchanged the release of five militants from the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF).
The case had gone into virtual cold storage and was revived after Malik was picked up by the National Investigation Agency in 2019 on charges of terror funding.
In the Rubaiya kidnapping case, which proved to be a turning point in the turbulent history of the Valley, the CBI filed charges against 10 people in January of last year, including Malik, with assistance from special public prosecutors Monika Kohli and S K Bhat.
Terrorist organisations had begun to rear their heads after the release of the five JKLF members.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
