JOIN USGeelani questioned over letter to Lashkar terrorist
Delhi Police on Wednesday recorded the statement of hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani for giving a recommendation letter to the Lashkar-e-Toiba militant who was arrested last month for planning attacks in the city.
The Kashmiri separatist leader refuted any link with the militant arrested by Delhi Police.
“He came to Special Cell office at Lodhi Road office at the around 3 pm. Today and was let off after 20 minutes of questioning,” said a senior police officer.
Police questioned Geelani after they found that he has given a letter of recommendation for Ehtesham Malik for a Pakistani visa.
Police had arrested Malik on February 29 on charges of planning to detonate a bomb in the capital. After his arrest, police found a photocopy of the recommendation letter he had got from Geelani.
Police also said 24-year-old Malik went to Pakistan in December last year and he received training there for making improvised explosive devices.
After Geelani's interrogation, the investigative officer said Geelani was unaware of Malik and said he used to sign at least 10 to 15 such letters everyday for people in Kashmirif they had a proper passport. “He also denied having any link with Malik,” the officer said.
Geelani’s son-in-law Altaf Shah accompanied him to the Lodhi Road office. After the questioning was over, Shah said, “He issues recommendation letters for getting Pakistani visas to the people who have a valid passport.”
Shah also refuted claims of Geelaini's link with Malik. A laboratory technician, Malik was earlier associated with the terror outfit in Sopore in Jammu and Kashmir and was arrested in 2007 along with two others.