From: Khajuria S Kant in Jammu
LIYAQAT Shah’s episode has exposed J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his pro terrorist policies which are posing serious threat to the security of India. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah did not miss a moment in dialing up Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde over the arrest of an alleged terrorist of Hizbul Mujahedeen (HM) Liyaqat Shah seeking inquiry by National Investigating Agency (NIA).
Omar wants NIA to inquire into the reality behind the arrest of Liyaqat Shah, who according to the state government sources was returning home under Jammu and Kashmir government’s much touted rehabilitation policy for militants who wants to cross over and return home. He was arrested by the special cell of Delhi Police, allegedly on grounds of conspiring to create terror in New Delhi on the eve of Holi.
Without going into merits of the case, one gets perplexed at the manner in which state government especially Chief Minister Omar Abdullah showed deep interest in the case of an alleged terror suspect. He has been supporting to the hilt HM terrorists like Liaquat Shah and provoking the people of Kashmir by telling them that he had warned New Delhi beforehand that the hanging of Afzal Guru would lead to street protests and demonstration and create unrest in the Valley.
BJP Legislature Party leader Ashok Khajuria along with other party MLAs had staged a protest outside the Assembly against Omar and his party’s stand on Liyaqat. “How is Omar Abdullah claiming on the floor of the House that Liyaqat is not a terrorist? Who has given him the Pakistan passport to reach Nepal to illegally infiltrate into this side?” asked Khajuria while alleging that the arrested “militant” had planned to execute a suicide attack.
Contesting the statement of the Chief Minister, the BJP leader said: “If Liyaqat was coming back under the rehabilitation policy, why had he adopted for an illegal route?”
Khajuria said the government had identified certain routes for the return of former militants in the rehabilitation policy but these militants were coming through Nepal. “By favouring Liyaqat, Omar Abdullah is trying to legitimise illegal routes for return of terrorists”, he alleged and demanded the dismissal of the Omar government, which was a “security risk”.
“Terrorists are being sent by the ISI with Pakistani passports to Nepal and from there they enter into the Indian territory by using fake I-cards,” he alleged.
Khajuria made a point when he questioned the methodology that was being used for the rehabilitation of Pakistan-trained terrorists. He asked: “How could Shah enter India via Nepal?” It needs to be underlined that the so-called rehabilitation policy, which was announced in November 2010, had identified four specific routes of Chakan da Bagh in Poonch district, Salamabad in Baramulla district, Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi and Attari in Punjab for those militants who wished to surrender and resettle in Jammu and Kashmir. It is also important to note that the State Government had itself very recently acknowledged on the floor of the Assembly that “till February this year, 241 Kashmiri militants illegally returned to the State via Nepal and Bangladesh borders”. The Union Home Ministry had expressed the same view.
Omar also had stated on the floor of the Assembly that Liyaqat was coming back under the rehabilitation policy and was not going to carry out terror attacks in New Delhi, as he was not holding a gun in his hand.
Former militant Liyaqat Shah, booked for waging war against the country by Delhi police which claimed he was planning to carry out terror attacks in the national capital, was on March 30 remanded in 14 days judicial custody by a court in New Delhi. Chief metropolitan magistrate (CMM) Manoj Kumar sent 45-year-old Shah to Tihar jail till April 12 after he was produced in the court before the expiry of his 15-day police remand. Shah was being quizzed since March 21 by the special cell of Delhi police which had earlier secured his custody for 15 days.
