Rubaiya only identified Yasin, not others: PDP

SRINAGAR: Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of former home minister and former J&K chief minister late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed identified only Yasin Malik, not others, during a hearing in her kidnapping case before a TADA court in Jammu, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said on Saturday.

The party, which is headed by Rubaiya’s sister Mehbooba Mufti, said many things reported in the media were exaggerated.

“Although Rubaiya is not a part of the PDP, what has been reliably learnt is that she has been able to identify only one person who is a part of the core proceedings and not as many as indicated by the reports. Anything else is mere exaggeration and extrapolation of the facts,” said PDP spokesperson Najamu Saqib in a statement.

Rubaiya was kidnapped in December 1989 allegedly by Malik and his aides when her father was the Union home minister in the VP Singh- led National Front government.

Rubaiya, who now lives in Chennai, appeared personally after the TADA court issued summons seeking her physical appearance in the case.

Her lawyer Anil Sethi had on Friday said that “she identified her abductors (including Yasin Malik) on the basis of photographs”.

Malik, presently undergoing life sentence in Tihar jail in a terror-funding case, moved an application to the government of India seeking his personal appearance in two cases – the Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping and the killing of four IAF officials, including squadron leader Ravi Khanna.

Rubaiya was kidnapped on December 8, 1989, and released on December 13. Her kidnappers had sought the release of five arrested militants in exchange of her release and the Union government conceded to their demand.