The Hindu : Front Page : Former NC legislator arrested for Hizb commander's escape

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 22, 2005

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Former NC legislator arrested for Hizb commander's escape

Shujaat Bukhari

Five arrested so far, two policemen detained for questioning; a conspiracy: Omar Baba crossed over to Pakistan on May 2 after obtaining customs clearance

SRINAGAR: The Anantnag police on Friday night arrested Gul Rafiqui, former National Conference MLA, for his alleged involvement in the escape of a top Hizb-ul Mujahideen commander to Pakistan. So far, five persons have been arrested, while two policemen have been detained for questioning.

Sheikh Owais Ahmed, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, South Kashmir Range, told The Hindu that Mr. Rafiqui was arrested near Bijbe hara on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

Preliminary investigations showed that Mr. Rafiqui escorted Mohammad Amin Baba alias Abid, ``divisional commander,'' to Attari in his official security vehicle.

Accompanying him were his driver Sham Singh, personal security officer Kanwal Singh (both from the Jammu and Kashmir Police), and his former aide Farooq Ahmed, the police said.

A senior officer said both policemen recognised a photograph of Baba and confirmed that he was in the vehicle. Both were with Mr. Rafiqui. They allegedly had dinner at Mr. Rafiqui's official residence in the MLAs' Hostel, Jammu, and proceeded towards Amritsar. There, Baba boarded a train. Mr. Rafiqui admitted that he took Baba to Amritsar but said he did not know that he was a militant.

Baba crossed over to Pakistan on May 2 after obtaining immigration and customs clearance at Attari, where he took the train.

Sources said he was involved in the killing of Peer Attiqullah, nephew of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, and that he had passed on ``orders in this regard'' hours before leaving for Jammu on way to Attari. Attiqullah was shot dead by militants on May 1.

`Fake passport'

The police said Baba got a ``fake passport'' in the name of Mohammad Yunus of Lal Bazar Srinagar and had his photograph pasted on it. ``So he had no problem getting clearance on the border, we believe.''

Earlier he got a visa from the Pakistan High Commission on the recommendations of a senior pro-Pakistan Hurriyat leader in Srinagar.

The passport was issued by the Srinagar regional office in 2001 and intelligence verification had been done the same year. ``That part is being investigated separately,'' the DIG said.

Among the other arrested, Mohammad Akbar was allegedly responsible for securing Baba the visa, while Gulzar Ahmed managed a letter of recommendation from a senior Hurriyat leader in Srinagar and Tariq Ahmed was Baba's ``bodyguard''.

National Conference president Omar Abdullah termed the arrests a ``conspiracy'' against his party.

He alleged that some Ministers of the coalition were also abetting in militancy but they went ``scot-free''.

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