Wheels of justice finally started rolling: Late IAF officer’s wife

Following the conviction of banned JKLF chief Yasin Malik by a Delhi court in a terror funding case on Thursday, Shalini Khanna, wife of late Squadron Leader Ravi Khanna, said she was confident of getting justice for her husband.

“Yasin Malik should be grateful that his karma is not carried forward,” said Shalini, whose husband was among four Indian Air Force officials shot dead by militants of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front ( JKLF), allegedly including Malik, on the outskirts of Srinagar in January 1990.

“Finally, the wheels of justice have started rolling. The truth is prevailing in front of the entire nation,” she said in her first reaction over Malik’s conviction.

“Bad deeds lead to bad outcomes,” said the 70-year-old, while demanding Malik be sent to the gallows.

“Yasin Malik not only killed my husband, but also murdered my mother-in-law, father-inlaw and my mother. Childhood of my two small kids was lost and our happiness was snatched away in a second. This terrorist turned our world upside down,” Shalini Khanna had told Hindustan Times in an interview in 2019.

Squadron leader Khanna was shot 27 times with an AK assault rifle. It may be stated here that Malik had last Tuesday pleaded guilty to all charges, including those under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

Omar: Malik has a right to approach higher court

National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Thursday said Yasin Malik has every right to approach a higher court, while the People’s Democratic Party said that the Kashmir issue was a political problem and convictions can’t solve it.

While responding to query on the Malik’s conviction, Abdullah said, “The court has a right to announce its decision and the person, against whom the decision has been made, also has a right to change that in a higher court. The court has pronounced its verdict and what Yasin Malik will do, it is up to him. I don’t want to comment on that.”

A PDP spokesperson said the development was part of the legal process, but it can’t and won’t solve the political problem called the Kashmir issue.

“It also depends on who is facing justice. We have seen different parameters being used. Those who killed the father of this nation are worshipped. Just yesterday, someone who killed the PM was released,” the spokesperson added.

(With inputs from Srinagar)