NBW issued against six in Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping case

Jammu, Mar 12 (UNI) The special TADA/POTA court of Jammu and Kashmir has issued non-bailable arrest warrants against six accused, including Javed Ahmed Mir alias Nalka, involved in the controversial kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of then Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, from Srinagar in December 1989.

Special Judge N D Wani, while resuming the hearing yesterday, issued NBW against Javed Mir, Mohammad Rafiq Pahloo, Wajahat Shabir, Mehraj-ud-din, Iqbal Bandu and Yaqoob Pandit for not appearing in the court.

There are total 11 accused in the case, including JKLF chief Yaseen Malik and Ali Mohammad Mir but only three Showkat Bakshi, Ghulam Hassan Sofi and Zaman Mir were present in the court.

The court exempted Malik, from appearing in person, on the ground that he was out of state whereas Mir was ill. Malik is also involved in another case of killing an airforce official in 1990.

Meanwhile, the warrants issued against the six were sent to SSP Srinagar with the direction to execute the same without any delay and produce the accused in the court.

The court observed it was unfortunate that the accused have not been charged so far because of their absence on one pretext or the other.

The court was also critical of the ''non-cooperation of the police'' in arresting the accused and producing them before the court.

Five militants were released by the then V P Singh government in lieu of Rubaiya, including Abdul Hamid Sheikh, then deputy commander in chief of JKLF.

UNI RKS YA PM1344