Yasin Malik Tells Delhi HC IB Arranged His 2006 Meeting With Hafiz Saeed, Reveals He Met Atal Bihari Vajpayee In 1995

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Former Jammu and Kashmir separatist leader Yasin Malik has made a startling claim before the Delhi High Court, alleging that his controversial 2006 meeting with Pakistan-based terrorist Hafiz Saeed was arranged at the request of India's Intelligence Bureau (IB).

In detailed written submissions filed in response to the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) plea seeking the death penalty for him in a terror funding case, Yasin said that successive Indian governments - from VP Singh to Manmohan Singh - had actively engaged him to promote dialogue and peace in the region, according to a Bar and Bench report.

The submissions from Yasin Malik were filed in a sealed cover, though there were no specific directions from the court requiring confidentiality. The case is scheduled for its next hearing in November, the report adds.

What did Yasin Malik claim about the Hafiz Saeed meeting?

Yasin Malik stated that in 2006, he travelled to Pakistan to meet Hafiz Saeed and other militant leaders only at the behest of then IB Special Director VK Joshi.

“I was specifically requested for this meeting with Hafiz Saeed and other militant leaders of Pakistan on the pretext that militancy and peace dialogues cannot go in tandem, given the bomb blast which happened in the National Capital,” Bar and Bench quoted Yasin Malik.

Upon his return to India, Yasin Malik claims he briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then National Security Advisor NK Narayanan about the meeting.

“I briefed him [PM Manmohan Singh] on my meetings and appraised him on the possibilities, where he conveyed his gratitude to me for my efforts, time, patience and dedication. But as luck would have it, this meeting of mine with Hafiz Saeed and other militant leader of Pakistan, which was initiated and executed only on the request of Special Director IB VK Joshi, was portrayed in a different context against me,” he submitted.

Engagements with successive governments

Yasin Malik further revealed that his involvement in dialogue on the Kashmir issue spanned across six consecutive governments, beginning with VP Singh's tenure and continuing through to Manmohan Singh's administration.

Yasin Malik claimed that he was repeatedly invited by various prime ministers and national security officials to participate in peace efforts and to speak on behalf of the Kashmiri people, both domestically and on international platforms.

“Not only was I provided a domestic platform to speak about the Kashmiri cause, but I was actively roped in time and again by the said governments in power and was actively persuaded to speak on international platforms,” Bar and Bench quoted Yasin Malik.

Meetings with Vajpayee-era officials, including Ajit Doval

Recalling his interactions during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government, Malik said he was first approached by current National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who was then Special Director of the IB.

“Then Special IB Director Mr Ajit Kumar Doval met me in New Delhi and arranged a meeting for me with IB Director Mr Shyamal Dutta and Mr Brajesh Mishra, National Security Advisor to the then Prime Minister independently. They both stated that our Prime Minister is serious in the talks process to resolve the Kashmir issue, and that I should support his Ramzan ceasefire,” Malik submitted.

He added that he also met Congress Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and other opposition leaders to bring them on board with Vajpayee's peace initiative.

In 2002, Yasin Malik claimed he launched a state-wide signature campaign to promote non-violence and democratic dialogue, gathering 1.5 million signatures over two and a half years.

Engagement under the Manmohan Singh government

Yasin Malik said he was formally invited to talks by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2006, who, according to him, expressed a strong desire to resolve the Kashmir issue.

Following these talks, Malik travelled to the United States to meet officials at the US State Department. However, he alleged that Singh began to face political backlash soon after, which disrupted the peace initiative.

Malik claimed he subsequently wrote to former Prime Minister Vajpayee about the matter.

Denial of allegations on Kashmiri Pandits and stone-pelting

Yasin Malik categorically denied allegations linking him to the genocide or mass rape of Kashmiri Pandits during the community's exodus from the Valley.

“There are unsubstantiated claims that the Kashmiri Pandit's exodus happened because of the alleged genocide and gang initiated by me... I shall hang myself without any trial and pronounce my name to go down the annals of history as a blot and curse to mankind,” he stated.

He also rejected accusations that he encouraged stone-pelting following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in 2016, asserting that these were politically motivated charges.

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