In a major development in the 1990 Indian Air Force personnel killing case, two crucial witnesses on Saturday identified Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik as one of the shooters involved in the targeted attack. The identification took place during a hearing at the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court in Jammu, where Malik is being tried for his alleged role in the deadly firing incident.
The witnesses also identified three of Malik’s alleged associates who were present at the site of the attack. This fresh testimony is being seen as a decisive leap forward in a case that has long been entangled in procedural delays and challenges due to its age and the sensitivity of the conflict period in Kashmir.
Reacting to the development, BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya took to X to term it a “big breakthrough” in the decades-old case. “A crucial eyewitness and former Indian Air Force staffer has given a decisive statement in court, identifying JKLF chief and terrorist Yasin Malik as the main shooter,” Malviya wrote. He added that the testimony strengthens the prosecution’s case and revives the hope of justice for the families of the slain personnel. “Justice may be delayed, but it will not be denied,” he said.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for November 29.
The 1990 attack that shook the nation
The incident dates back to January 25, 1990, when a group of Indian Air Force personnel waiting for transport near Rawalpora on the outskirts of Srinagar were ambushed by terrorists. In the sudden burst of gunfire, four IAF officers, including Squadron Leader Ravi Khanna, were killed, while several others sustained injuries. The attack came at a time when militancy in Kashmir was at its peak and targeted killings of security personnel were escalating.
Yasin Malik, then a prominent figure in the JKLF’s militant operations, stands as the prime accused in the case. Along with him, six others have been named in the chargesheet: Ali Mohammad Mir, Manzoor Ahmad Sofi alias Mustafa, Javed Ahmed Mir alias Nalka, Showkat Ahmed Bakshi, Javed Ahmed Zargar, and Rafiq “Nanaji” Pahloo. The prosecution maintains that Malik and his associates executed the targeted attack as part of their armed separatist campaign.
Currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, Yasin Malik is serving a life sentence handed down by a trial court on May 24, 2022. He had pleaded guilty to charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and sections of the Indian Penal Code in a separate terror funding case investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). In an 85-page affidavit submitted earlier, Malik had claimed he was part of a backchannel effort involving successive prime ministers and intelligence chiefs to promote peace in Jammu and Kashmir—an assertion strongly contested by security agencies.
Despite Malik’s claims of political engagement, the gravity of the charges in the 1990 IAF firing case has kept him at the centre of one of Kashmir’s most emotive terrorism-related trials.
NIA seeks death penalty in another case
Separately, the NIA has filed an appeal in the Delhi High Court seeking the death penalty for Malik in the 2017 terror funding case. During a recent virtual appearance from Tihar Jail, Malik alleged that he was subjected to psychological pressure due to the prolonged delay in hearing the agency’s appeal. The NIA has argued that merely pleading guilty should not spare a terrorist from capital punishment, insisting that granting leniency would undermine the sentencing policy and create a dangerous precedent.
The Delhi High Court has scheduled the next hearing in that matter for January 28.
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