HYDERABAD: Tall claims by Telangana state police of keeping a strict vigil on terror operatives within the state, particularly Hyderabad, have clearly fallen flat.
Staunch Pakistan supporter Asiya Andrabi, whose links with various terror groups, particularly Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, in the Kashmir valley are well known, quietly visited Babanagar in Hyderabad, spent about five hours in the house of ex-president of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), and took a flight back to Srinagar last year - while the TS police, particularly the state Intelligence wing and Hyderabad city police - were totally unaware about the visit. The police had no inkling of her visit, which has raised the hackles among the top brass, who are now hurriedly making enquiries as to whom she met and what she spoke during her visit.
Andrabi, however, denies she has any links with ISIS or the recently arrested terror trio, who were all set to leave for Srinagar to meet Andrabi, who they claimed would facilitate their crossing over to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and then to Afghanistan and Syria to join ISIS.
The terror trio - Mohammed Abdullah Basith, Maaz Hassan Farooq and Syed Omer Farooq Hussaini - who were caught at Nagpur airport while trying to fly to Srinagar, had confessed that they planned to meet Asiya Andrabi in Srinagar. All three are relatives of Syed Salahuddin, ex SIMI president who died in a road accident in October last year.
“Firstly, I have no link, even remotely, to ISIS and I have never met these three children. For the last 35 years, I have been fighting for freedom of Kashmir and getting freedom from Indian occupation is my prime objective. It is not possible for me to facilitate any crossover to PoK or facilitate any youth join ISIS. This is a concocted story by the Telangana police,” Andrabi, chief of Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) told Express over telephone from Srinagar.
“To question me, they will have to come to Srinagar, I cannot come to Hyderabad,” she said.
Andrabi however said that she did visit Hyderabad in October 2014 to offer condolences to the family of Syed Salahuddin, who died in a road accident. “I arrived by a flight, drove straight to Babanagar (Salahuddin’s house), spent five hours there and took a flight back to Srinagar,” she asserted.
Replying to a query on whether she met the three youths at Salahuddin’s house, as they too are his relatives, she said: “In Salahuddin’s house, they follow strict pardah and there is no way women can meet anyone. I did not meet them.”
Asked whether she could indeed facilitate exfiltration of youth into PoK or get them into ISIS ranks, she shot back: “No, impossible. I am only fighting for freedom of Kashmir. I talk to people like Pakistan President Nawaz Sharif and other stake-holders for freedom of Kashmir. Do you think I will talk to these boys and facilitate their travel to POK or Afghanistan to join ISIS?’’
Andrabi was married to Ashiq Hussain Faktoo, a founding member of terror group Hizbul Mujahideen, the biggest militant organisation in Kashmir, who has been in jail since 1992.
In September 2013, Asiya Andrabi’s three nephews were arrested in Pakistan for terror links.
Asked whether she would have met the three if they called on her in Srinagar, which actually they had planned to do, she answered in positive. “Had they told me that they wanted to join ISIS or any terror group, I would have advised them against it. But had I encouraged them to join militancy, the TS police could have registered a case against me. But I still do not believe that the kids have taken my name. Even TS police should think twice before cooking up stories.”
To a query whether she was in touch with anyone in Hyderabad, she replied in the negative. “That was my first and only visit to Hyderabad,” she insisted. Sources however said that Andrabi was invited by a local organisation to attend a conference in Hyderabad in April last year, but that did not materialise.
Admitting that the state police had no clue of Andrabi’s visit, a senior police official told this newspaper that they are “verifying” as to how they missed such a “significant visit” which has serious ramifications for Telangana.
Interestingly, if TS police had no clue about Andrabi’s visit to the city, even the Jammu and Kashmir police, who “shadow” Andrabi 24 x7, failed to take note of her leaving the valley.
When contacted, J & K DGP K Rajendra Kumar told Express that the matter is under investigation. “We are investigating why she went to Hyderabad and whether she is also recruiting men for militant groups.”
However, top sources said that the J & K police has warned TS police to be ‘extra vigilant’ in view of Andrabi’s visit last year, which in other words meant that Hyderabad now has a direct link with Kashmir-based terror groups. How is Asiya associated with Hyderabad-based Syed Salahuddin?
“My association with Salahuddin sahib dates back to 1997 when he organised an International Ikhwan conference in Aligarh. Since then, we have been good friends. Therefore, when he passed away, I thought it was my duty to offer condolences to his family members,” Andrabi said.
She also denied that she had ever recruited Muslim youth for “Jihad” be it in Kashmir or Hyderabad.
Asked whether she was willing to cooperate with Telangana police for questioning, the 53-year-old Andrabi replied in the affirmative.
from: P1
“To question me, they will have to come to Srinagar, I cannot come to Hyderabad,” she said.
Andrabi however said that she did visit Hyderabad in October 2014 to offer condolences to the family of Syed Salahuddin, who died in a road accident. “I arrived by a flight, drove straight to Babanagar (Salahuddin’s house), spent five hours there and took a flight back to Srinagar,” she asserted.
Replying to a query on whether she met the three youths at Salahuddin’s house, as they too are his relatives, she said: “In Salahuddin’s house, they follow strict pardah and there is no way women can meet anyone. I did not meet them.”
Asked whether she could indeed facilitate exfiltration of youth into PoK or get them into ISIS ranks, she shot back: “No, impossible. I am only fighting for freedom of Kashmir. I talk to people like Pakistan President Nawaz Sharif and other stake-holders for freedom of Kashmir. Do you think I will talk to these boys and facilitate their travel to POK or Afghanistan to join ISIS?’’
Andrabi was married to Ashiq Hussain Faktoo, a founding member of terror group Hizbul Mujahideen, the biggest militant organisation in Kashmir, who has been in jail since 1992.
In September 2013, Asiya Andrabi’s three nephews were arrested in Pakistan for terror links.
Asked whether she would have met the three if they called on her in Srinagar, which actually they had planned to do, she answered in positive. “Had they told me that they wanted to join ISIS or any terror group, I would have advised them against it. But had I encouraged them to join militancy, the TS police could have registered a case against me. But I still do not believe that the kids have taken my name. Even TS police should think twice before cooking up stories.”
To a query whether she was in touch with anyone in Hyderabad, she replied in the negative. “That was my first and only visit to Hyderabad,” she insisted. Sources however said that Andrabi was invited by a local organisation to attend a conference in Hyderabad in April last year, but that did not materialise.
Admitting that the state police had no clue of Andrabi’s visit, a senior police official told this newspaper that they are “verifying” as to how they missed such a “significant visit” which has serious ramifications for Telangana.
Interestingly, if TS police had no clue about Andrabi’s visit to the city, even the Jammu and Kashmir police, who “shadow” Andrabi 24 x7, failed to take note of her leaving the valley.
When contacted, J & K DGP K Rajendra Kumar told Express that the matter is under investigation. “We are investigating why she went to Hyderabad and whether she is also recruiting men for militant groups.”
However, top sources said that the J & K police has warned TS police to be ‘extra vigilant’ in view of Andrabi’s visit last year, which in other words meant that Hyderabad now has a direct link with Kashmir-based terror groups. How is Asiya associated with Hyderabad-based Syed Salahuddin?
“My association with Salahuddin sahib dates back to 1997 when he organised an International Ikhwan conference in Aligarh. Since then, we have been good friends. Therefore, when he passed away, I thought it was my duty to offer condolences to his family members,” Andrabi said.