Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 7: Two high level teams of National Investigating Agency (NIA) have reached Doda and Kishtwar for investigations in September 7, 2011 blast at Delhi High Court in the aftermath of the killing of top Hizbul Mujahideen militant Aamir Ali Kamal alias Aamir alias Akram, who was one of the prime accused in the blast that had claimed the lives of 14 people and left 85 others injured.
The NIA teams would like to interrogate Sajjad Ahmad Mir alias Rezwan, an associate of Aamir, who was captured alive from the encounter site at Leddri Forests in Dachchan area of Kishtwar district yesterday. The NIA had declared a reward of Rs 10 lakh on the head of Aamir while the State Government had announced an equal reward.
Police sources told the Excelsior today that some vital clues have emerged during questioning of Rezwan, who though was not involved in Delhi blast but had developed close links with Aamir Ali.
Investigations by the police revealed that Aamir Ali had arranged logistics support for two Pakistani militants, who were known by their code names as Abu Saifullah and Abu Billal while Shakir Hussain alias Chhota Haafiz, Aamir Abbas Dev and Abid Hussain, all residents of Kishtwar had shifted an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), packed in a briefcase from Kishtwar to Kud.
Abu Saifullah and Abu Billal, whose exact identity was not known even to the militants here as they operated only by the code names, had taken the IED at Kud from three militants and transported it to New Delhi in a TATA Sumo. Before planting the IED outside the Delhi High Court, both the Pakistanis had, about a week ago, conducted a recee of the site.
Abu Saifullah and Abu Billal had reached Kishtwar few days after the blast where again Aamir Ali had arranged shelter for them in some safe hideouts in upper reaches of Kishtwar. However, as the pressure mounted on the militants after the arrest of three militants from Kishtwar and announcement of Rs 20 lakh reward each on three others including Aamir Ali, Chotta Haafiz and Junaid Akram Malik and police, security force besides local people hunting for the ultras, the Pakistanis were reported to have left Kishtwar and reached Anantnag district in South Kashmir.
“At present, both the Pakistani militants were reportedly hiding in South Kashmir, most likely in Anantnag district’’, sources said, adding that Doda-Kishtwar police have sounded their counterparts in South Kashmir about the movement of two Pakistani militants, responsible for executing Delhi blast along with six local militants of Kishtwar.
Of six local militants involved in the blast Wasim Akram Malik, who was studying Medicines in Bangladesh, Abid Hussain and Aamir Abbas Dev have already been arrested by Kishtwar police and NIA while Aamir Ali was killed yesterday. Chotta Haafiz and Junaid Akram Malik, brother of Wasim Akram Malik, were still at large.
Sources said the NIA has mentioned two Pakistanis in the blast but has not named them as exact identity of Abu Saifullah and Abu Billal was not known so far.
As mentioned, Abu Saifullah had also executed a powerful car blast with a remote control device at Udhampur in which a top Army officer of Northern Command had a narrow escape. Saifullah had been staying in Bhatindi, Jammu, impersonating as a Kashmiri and had even married a local girl. He had been operating as a TATA Sumo driver and conducting recee of sensitive areas before his name figured in Udhampur blast and he went underground.
Sources said Abu Saifullah had left the site of blast outside Delhi High Court after planting the bomb at crowded place and detonating it either with remote control or through time device.
Sources added that the NIA team was expected to question Rezwan to know more about Aamir Ali, one of the masterminds of Delhi High Court blast. After the arrest of three local militants within a month of the blast, the killing of Aamir Ali by Doda police and troops of Rashtriya Rifles came as a solace for the NIA, which has not been able to work out the blast mystery completely.
The NIA and police wanted to capture Aamir Ali alive but he was killed in the encounter along with his colleague Mohammad Shaffi Hajam. Sources said police would now try to capture Chotta Haafiz and Junaid Akram Malik alive to help the NIA.
According to sources, while all six local militants of Kishtwar involved in Delhi blast were affiliated to Hizbul Mujahideen outfit, two Pakistanis were active members of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit. As the LeT still had support base in South Kashmir, both had preferred to stay there along with their associates, they said.
Meanwhile, a particular community observed a shutdown for few hours and took the body of Aamir Ali in a procession shouting religious and provocative slogans during his burial in Kishtwar town.
Police had been deployed in strength to ensure that no untoward incident took place during Aamir’s burial.
Normalcy was restored in the town after the burial.
Body of Mohammad Shaffi Hajam was handed over to his family for burial in Marwah, Kishtwar.
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