The article is written by well-known senior journalist Mr. Sanjeev Sabde
December 2, 1989 – On this day, Vishwanath Pratap Singh took the oath as the Prime Minister of India. On the same day, key leaders from the Janata Dal party such as Chaudhary Devi Lal, Inder Kumar Gujral, Arun Nehru, Arun Singh, Arif Mohammad Khan, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, George Fernandes, Madhu Dandavate, Nathuram Mirdha, M.S. Gurupadaswamy, P. Upendra, Murasoli Maran, Ram Vilas Paswan and others were also sworn in as ministers. The cabinet portfolios were quickly distributed, and the new ministers assumed their respective offices. In short, the functioning of this new government had begun. Some of these ministers had prior experience, while others were new to the role. As a result, party workers from their respective states flocked to Delhi to meet them, offering bouquets and shawls in celebration. There was an overwhelming atmosphere of joy and affection. The cold weather in Delhi added to the pleasant ambiance.
However, the Kashmir Valley was not peaceful — it was simmering with unrest. Farooq Abdullah was the Chief Minister at the time, but he had gone abroad for medical treatment. On December 8, around 3:45 p.m., a young woman — a doctor — was leaving the hospital to go home in Srinagar. She boarded a mini-bus headed towards Naugam, a village on the outskirts of the city. The bus had a few passengers, who gradually got off along the way. Eventually, only the young doctor and five young men were left on the bus. As the bus headed toward Naugam, the young men ordered the driver to divert towards Natipora village. Once there, they forced the doctor out of the bus and into a Maruti car, taking her to Sopore. They brought her to the house of an engineer named Javed Iqbal Mir, who was a government employee.
The young men involved in this abduction were members of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF): Yasin Malik, Ghulam Hassan, Ashfaq Hassan Wani, and the host Javed Mir, who also drove the car. After reaching the location, JKLF’s spokesperson called the office of the Kashmir Times daily and claimed responsibility for the abduction of Dr. Rubaiya Sayeed. They demanded the release of Hameed Sheikh and four other JKLF members in exchange for her freedom. The news spread rapidly — first in the newspaper office, then across the Kashmir Valley, and soon across the entire country. The shock was especially strong because Rubaiya Sayeed was the daughter of Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. She was a medical intern at the time. That Kashmiri militants had kidnapped the Home Minister’s daughter caused widespread panic. Before delving into what followed, a few more details are necessary. Initially, the militants had planned to kidnap the daughter of Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, but they abandoned that plan due to the heavy security at his residence. They then considered kidnapping the daughter of Special Police Superintendent Allah Baksh, but eventually, someone suggested abducting Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s daughter, and the idea was unanimously accepted. Rubaiya Sayeed’s abduction shook the central government.
The government immediately instructed Kashmir’s police chiefs not to take any action that could provoke the terrorists into harming her. Thus, the decision was made to initiate negotiations. Chief Secretary Raza Musa and senior Intelligence Bureau officer A.S. Dulat reached out to Ashfaq Wani’s father through a journalist. They arranged a secret meeting. During the meeting, Wani’s father argued that these acts were happening because of the injustices by the central government against Kashmir. He assured the officials that the four men were not bad people, would treat Rubaiya like a sister, and wouldn’t harm her. But he insisted that at least Hameed Sheikh be released. The government understood the dangerous precedent of releasing terrorists, so negotiations stalled. Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah returned to Kashmir on December 13 and held a cabinet meeting to be updated on the situation. To his surprise, ministers told him that they were unaware of developments because the Chief Secretary hadn’t informed them.
When questioned, Raza Musa said he had been reporting directly to Cabinet Secretary T.N. Seshan in Delhi due to Abdullah’s absence. Meanwhile, retired Justice Motilal Kaul, who was acting as a mediator, met Abdullah with a message from Mufti Mohammad Sayeed: to release all the detained militants. Abdullah became furious and asked if Sayeed realized the consequences of such an action. “Even if it had been my own daughter, I wouldn’t have agreed to release terrorists,” he said. He then called Sayeed and told him directly: “We are trying to rescue your daughter. She will not be harmed. But do not press for the release of the terrorists.” Despite his protest, on December 13, Prime Minister V.P. Singh personally called Abdullah and told him to proceed with the release. Abdullah expressed his displeasure. Later that morning at 11 a.m., Inder Kumar Gujral and Arif Mohammad Khan, both Union Ministers, arrived in Srinagar along with the Intelligence Bureau chief. They met Abdullah for two hours. He remained firm in his belief that the militants should not be released.
However, under pressure from the Prime Minister, the five terrorists were released. At 3 p.m., once the militants were freed, separatists in Srinagar celebrated openly. Shortly afterward, Rubaiya Sayeed was released. Upon hearing the news, the Union Home Minister distributed sweets to the Prime Minister and other ministers. However, this decision to release terrorists further deteriorated the situation in the Kashmir Valley.
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