Author: Ahmed Ali Fayaz
Publication: The Daily
Excelsior
Date: September 25,
2000
Working of the Chief
Minister's security outfit SSG, as also that of the State and central intelligence
agencies, has come into question with the BSF's latest sensational operation
in Rawalpora outskirts of the capital city here. A multi-millionaire
industrialist, who has been playing golf with the state's high profile
personalities, has turned out to be a senior functionary of Al-Badr guerrilla
outfit which has been floated by Pakistani cadres of Hizbul Mujahideen
some time back.
According to top official
sources, a former Chief Engineer Inayatullah Khateeb's son, Waseem Ahmed
Khateeb, has been lifted and detained for sustained interrogation for he
has allegedly been "engineering and facilitating" Al-Badr's mind boggling
operations. However, his family sources insist that Waseem has been
operating as a respected industrialist and he has had no involvement with
the subversive activities. On the condition of anonymity, one of
his relatives even suspected "extortionist designs" behind BSF's operation
as the Khateebs are widely known as an affluent family. They have
also laid several power transmission lines in the State.
Official sources, on
the other hand, swear that Khateeb's palatial house at Wanbal, in the posh
Rawalpora area, has been misused as a hide-out by senior Pakistani functionaries
of Al-Badr. BSF raided the house on Friday last and picked up Waseem
alongwith his elderly father Inayatullah and brother-in-law, Dr Mirza Aijaz
who had, of late, returned from Dubai. While as Waseem has been detained,
officials claimed that his father and brother-in-law have been released.
A senior official disclosed
to EXCELSIOR that the top-wanted Al-Badr fugitive Luqman was present at
Khateeb's house when BSF conducted the lightning raid. However, he
was lucky enough to escape as troops searched all rooms except his.
The official said that still the BSF team recovered four pistols, one AK-47
rifle, 8 Kgs of RDX and a computer "which is full of sensitive and vital
information regarding militant operations and network" in Kashmir valley.
The detained Waseem Ahmed
Khateeb is the brother of late Nadeem Ahmed Khateeb who had joined Harkat-ul-Ansar
ranks after completing a commercial pilot's training course in USA.
Having worked as a commercial pilot in USA for some time, Nadeem had become
an active militant who, ultimately, got killed in an encounter with security
forces, in Udhampur district, late last year. The Khateebs are originally
residents of Doda district.
Interestingly, Waseem
Ahmed Khateeb happens to be an active member of Srinagar Golf Club where
Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, Chief Secretary Ashok Jaitly and other
senior officials have been playing the game regularly. Security of
ficials here are baffled over the way "suspicious elements" have found
entry into the glamorous sport and also paved their access upto the Chief
Minister. Dr Abdullah has been in the topmost Z-plus category but
neither SSG nor the State or Central intelligencies have ever bothered
to check the antecedents of the persons roaming around him freely.
Three months ago, Dr
Abdullah had a narrow escape when a meticulously laid landmine exploded
inside the golf-course premises, minutes after the Chief Minister had left
for his home.
