In a letter written to the Jammu and Kashmir police, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has sought an ‘integrity report’ on former PDP legislator Aijaz Ahmad Mir, saying that “it is believed that he has a soft corner towards the separatists.”
NIA in its letter addressed to the J&K’s Additional Director General of Police claimed that “It is believed that he (former legislator Mir) has a soft corner towards the separatists. It has also come into notice that his vehicle was used on the attacks on pilgrims of the Amarnath yatra. Therefore, you are requested to provide criminal record/antecedents if any and integrity report on respect of aforesaid Ex-MLA namely Ajaz Ahmad Mir to Shri Rakesh Sharma SP/CIO of the instant case.”
According to reports, a vehicle belonging to the former PDP legislator, Aijaz Ahmed Mir was used in the 2017 sensational attack on Amarnath pilgrims that left seven dead.
Moreover, investigations into the case where a special police officer named Adil Bashir Sheikh, 24, (Belt No. 488/SPO), deployed with People’s Democratic Party (PDP) MLA, Aijaz Ahmad Mir, reportedly absconded with seven assault rifles of colleagues from a Police post guarding his residence at high-security Jawahar Nagar area in Srinagar in September last year, led the NIA to doubt that the former lawmaker has “a soft corner towards separatists.”
It was later reported that SPO Sheikh, who hailed from legislator Mir’s home town Wachi in south Kashmir’s Shopian, had joined Hizbul Mujahideen and posed in a picture with four other militants including prominent commander Zeenat-ul-Islam of the Hizbul-Mujahideen.
Soon after the incident, J-K Police registered a case under FIR NO 57/2018 and constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the weapons’ theft. The case was later handed over to the NIA.
Meanwhile, an NIA official involved in the probe has urged J&K police to provide Mir’s “criminal record”, if any, personal antecedents and personal integrity report for “investigations purpose” at the earliest, which would, in turn, help the NIA to expedite the investigation.
When contacted Mir, who represented Wachi constituency of Shopian in the previous state assembly, said he is not afraid of any probe. “I am ready for any investigation,” he said. “If they have to probe this case or any other case, I am ready,” added Mir.
Earlier, in an interview, PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti had expressed her patronage for the former PDP MLA saying that Mir was being coerced to leave the party by members of the BJP. She had alleged that after the BJP-PDP alliance broke in June last year, BJP has been using the NIA to intimidate Mir and his family.
However, it would be important to note here that Mehbooba Mufti herself has had a special tenderness for the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Recently the former J&K CM had displayed her endearment for these terrorists by terming local terrorists in J&K as ‘son of the soil’ and reiterating that efforts should be made to save them.
PDP legislator, Aijaz Mir, had also reiterated in the same lines as the PDP chief, calling all the terrorists ‘brothers’.
Sympathising with terrorists and whitewashing of crimes of pro-terrorist stone pelters in the state has been a chosen political tactic of many leaders, including Mufti in the state. In December last year, Mufti had visited a terrorist’s family in south Kashmir’s Pulwama and admonished the government for alleged harassment of terrorists’ families.
In fact, when BJP had walked out of the coalition government with Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP in J&K in June last year, they had stated heavy radicalisation and soft approach towards extremists under the PDP governance as the key reason for the break-up.
