Srinagar: The CBI on Monday arrested Shafat Ahmad Shungloo from Ishber Nishat in Srinagar in connection with the 1989 kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of the then Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. It marks another step in a case that has remained unresolved for nearly 36 years and has had a lasting impact on J&K security situation.
Shungloo, son of Saif-ud-Din, was allegedly involved in the abduction carried out by the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) on December 8, 1989. Rubaiya was taken while returning from Lal Ded maternity hospital. During her captivity, the kidnappers demanded the release of five jailed JKLF militants. After five days of tense negotiations, VP Singh's government accepted the demand, and Rubaiya was released on December 13, 1989.
The decision drew widespread criticism, with many blaming the swap for fuelling the insurgency in the Valley, although Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was seen as having been under immense pressure. In a special court, charges were framed against Yasin Malik and nine others under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA). Investigations, supported by confessional statements and eyewitness testimonies, revealed a conspiracy by the accused to abduct Rubaiya Sayeed to secure the release of their jailed associates.
While some of the accused named by the CBI were either on the run or deceased, others, including Malik, were already incarcerated and facing trials for their involvement in the kidnapping. The case is currently being tried in a designated TADA court in Jammu. Rubaiya has testified as a prosecution witness and, in 2022, identified former JKLF commander Yasin Malik as one of her abductors.
Malik is serving a life sentence in Tihar Jail in a separate terror-funding case. The five JKLF militants released in exchange for Rubaiya’s freedom were Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Sher Khan (also known as Altaf Ahmed), Noor Mohammad Kalwal, Altaf Ahmed Bhat (also known as Mohammad Altaf), and Javed Ahmed Zargar. Their release followed negotiations led by figures including Justice M.L. Bhat, amid heavy pressure on both the central government and then J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah.
