Liyaqat came to surrender, says his second wife

Syed Liyaqat Shah was arrested when he crossed into Indian territory from Nepal to surrender under Jammu and Kashmir’s rehabilitation policy. His second wife spoke to the media on Saturday on reaching her husband’s ancestral home.

Akhtar-ul-Nisa, 47, whom he married in Pakistan, has reached her Liyaqat’s ancestral home in Dardpora village, in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

Jabeena, 14, the deaf and mute daughter of Nisa from her previous husband is also with her.

Talking to mediapersons, Nisa said she had landed in Nepal from Pakistan with her husband and daughter; the family had Pakistani passports.

“Liyaqat came to surrender before the authorities in Jammu and Kashmir after the application of his family for his rehabilitation under the state government’s policy was approved by authorities,” she said.

“We were arrested near the Nepal-India border and told to show our identity cards. We told police we had no identity cards, but carried Pakistani passports. They did not listen to us and arrested Liyaqat, even after we clearly told them that authorities had approved Liyaqat’s return under the rehabilitation policy.”

She also said since Liaquat had not even reached Delhi when he was arrested, there was no question of any arms being recovered from his hotel room in Delhi, as was reported in some sections of the media.

Nisa is a Kashmiri who had crossed over to Pakistan along with her deaf and mute daughter in 2005.

Her previous husband, who she accepted had been a militant, was killed in a gunfight with the security forces before she crossed the line of control.

She said she married Liyaqat, whom she met in Pakistan. He too had been married earlier.

Ameena Begum, Liyaqat’s first wife, lives in Dardpora village along with her two sons, Shabir, 21, and Saddam, 15.

Nisa and her daughter are now living with the rest of Liyaqat’s family in Dardpora.
Some village elders, including the local sarpanch, accompanied the family when they were called to the local police station on Saturday morning.