Demands of Abductors and Negotiations
The representatives of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front called the local newspaper Kashmir Times on phone at about 5:30 p.m. They said that their group’s mujahideen had kidnapped Dr Rubaiya Sayeed, and she would remain their hostage until the government released Sheikh Abdul Hameed, a JKLF “area commander” Ghulam Nabi Butt, younger brother of the late Maqbool Butt; Noor Muhammad Kalwal; Muhammed Altaf; and Javed Ahmed Zargar a Pakistani citizen.
The editor Muhammad Sofi phoned both the Home Minister and the government to pass on the news. The chief minister Farooq Abdullah was holidaying in London. He cut short his holidays and returned to Delhi. Senior IB and police officials, including Ved Marwah, Director General of the National Security Guards, reached Srinagar before dawn the next day.
The kidnapping of a young, unmarried woman aroused great anger in Kashmir. The people thought the action was against Islam and against Kashmiriyat.
The negotiations opened through Zaffar Meraj of the Kashmir Times, while Shabnam Lone, daughter of A.B. Ghani Lone and Maulvi Abbas Ansari of the Muslim United Front were tapped as possible channels. Later, a judge of the Allahabad High Court, Moti Lal Bhat, entered the picture. A friend of Mufti, he began negotiating directly with the militants on behalf of the home minister.
At 3:30 a.m. on December 13, 1989, two Union Cabinet Ministers, Inder Kumar Gujral and Arif Mohammad Khan, personally flew into Srinagar believing that Farooq was coming in the way of a deal because Farooq held the view that abject surrender to the terrorists’ demands would open the floodgates.
But the government of V.P. Singh did not have the nerve to hold out. At 7:00 p.m. on December 13, 1989 Dr. Rubaiya Sayeed was set free, two hours after the government released the five jailed militants. Thousands of young men gathered at Rajouri Kadal to take them out in a triumphant procession, but they quickly disappeared to their hideouts.
Read more about this topic: 1989 Kidnapping Of Rubaiya Sayeed
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