Author: Muzamil Jaleel
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: January 14, 2006
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/archive_full_story.php?content_id=85917
J&K: Cops say Cong, PDP men ran fidayeen
network, in Delhi
A week after the arrest of a National Conference
municipal councillor in Mumbai for his alleged Lashkar links, the J-K Police
are looking for two "mainstream politicians" who they allege have
been "running the fidayeen networks in Srinagar and Ganderbal."
One of them is a municipal councillor, said
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, K Rajendra, who confirmed the search
to The Indian Express. "It's a fact that we are looking for two politicians
(from mainstream parties). They are involved."
Top sources say the politicians are from the
ruling Congress-People's Democratic Party alliance-one is from the Congress
and the other is with the PDP-and are currently in New Delhi. "We are
keeping an eye on them. They are hiding in the homes of senior politicians.
We have sent word and want them to surrender as soon as possible,'' a police
officer said.
Just a month ago, the nexus between militants
and politicians was exposed when a lawyer and a businessman from Kreeri Baramulla
were picked up after the chance arrest of bank robber.
The lawyer was a card-holding member of the
Congress and the businessman from the National Conference. One of them was
even allotted government accommodation in a high-security hotel here. For
the past one year, the police said, both ferried militants to carry out fidayeen
attacks in their vehicle which had a special security pass to enter high-security
offices and residential colonies.
In fact, the assassins of J-K Education minister
Ghulam Nabi Lone, too, were taken to the fortified Tulsi Bagh colony by the
two.
