Why did Omar Abdullah remember the Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping case after which terrorism became uncontrolled in Jammu and Kashmir?

After the Rubaiya Sayeed case, terrorism started becoming uncontrolled in the valley
After the Rubaiya kidnapping case, terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir took such a serious form that within just a year, the situation became uncontrollable. Mass massacres of Kashmiri Pandits started taking place in the valley. They were openly asked to convert to Islam, flee or be ready to die. Ultimately, Kashmiri Pandits had to flee leaving behind their homes, shops, farms, and immovable properties to save their lives. When Kashmiri Pandits were fleeing leaving behind their homes in the valley, many were brutally murdered by terrorists on the way. Kashmiri Pandits became like refugees in their own country. Even today, they have not been able to return to their homes in the valley. Overall, it would not be wrong to say that the Rubaiya Sayeed case laid the foundation for a very gruesome form of terrorism in the valley.

Rubaiya Saeed was kidnapped from near her house
8 December 1989. The news comes that Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of the then Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, has been kidnapped by terrorists of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front. The same JKLF whose leader is Yasin Malik and who is currently in jail. Coincidentally, just 5 days ago Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had become the Home Minister in the central government. Rubaiya was kidnapped when she was returning from Srinagar’s Lal Ded Memorial Women’s Hospital. She was 23 years old at that time and was working as a medical intern in the hospital. In winters, the day used to set early. It was about to be evening on 8 December 1989. It was around 3:45. The mini bus in which Rubaiya was returning must have been just half a kilometer away from her house in Nowgam when 4 terrorists forcibly took her off the bus at gunpoint. A Maruti car was already waiting below. The terrorists forcibly dragged Rubaiya into that car and fled. Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front took responsibility for this kidnapping incident.

JKLF put a condition of releasing the terrorists in exchange for the release of Rubaiya
After the news of the kidnapping of the daughter of the Union Home Minister, there was a stir from Srinagar to Delhi. JKLF put a condition of releasing 5 dreaded terrorists in exchange for the release of Rubaiya Sayeed. The then VP Singh government of the Center chose the path of talks and bargaining with the terrorists to release the daughter of its Home Minister. JKLF demanded the release of dreaded terrorists – Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Ghulam Nabi Bhat, Noor Mohammad Kalwal, Mohammad Altaf and Javed Ahmed Zargar in exchange for the release of Rubaiya Sayeed. Later it gave up the demand for the release of Zargar and instead demanded the release of Abdul Ahad Waza. Abdul Hamid Sheikh, one of the terrorists whose release was conditioned by JKLF, was undergoing treatment at Srinagar’s Sher-e-Kashmir Hospital at that time, because he/she was injured. Finally the central government bowed down to the terrorists and agreed to release 5 dreaded terrorists in exchange for Rubaiya.

Allahabad High Court judge played the role of mediator in talks with terrorists
At the time of Rubaiya Sayeed’s kidnapping, the then Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah, had gone to London for treatment. On receiving the news, he/she immediately left his/her London tour and returned to Srinagar. Slowly, one day after another passed. Rubaiya Sayeed was still in the custody of the terrorists. It had been 5 days since the kidnapping. Negotiations continued between the government and the terrorists through mediators. Finally, the government decided to release the terrorists. JKLF said that they would release Rubaiya Sayeed a few hours after its fellow terrorists were released. It was decided that the people playing the role of mediator in the talks would reach Justice ML Bhat’s house with the terrorists to be released. After that JKLF would release Rubaiya. Justice ML Bhat of Allahabad High Court was a friend of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and he/she was also playing the role of mediator in the talks with JKLF. This is what happened. The five dreaded terrorists were taken to Justice ML Bhat’s house from where they were handed over to JKLF. About three hours later, JKLF sent Rubaiya Sayeed to Justice Bhat’s house. From there, she was brought directly to Delhi.

Farooq Abdullah was not in favor of releasing the terrorists
It is said that the then Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah, was not in favour of talks with the terrorists. he/she was unhappy with the pressure of the Central Government on him/her to release the terrorists. he/she believed that if he/she bowed down to the conditions of the terrorists, it would encourage similar kidnappings in the future. Ultimately, his/her apprehension proved right. The terrorists kidnapped important people in the future to free their comrades. On 6 April 1990, the Vice Chancellor of Kashmir University, Dr. Mushir-ul-Haq, was kidnapped along with his/her personal secretary Abdul Ghani Zargar. Four days later, on 10 April, the bodies of both were found. The Jammu and Kashmir Students Liberation Front took the responsibility of their kidnapping and murder.

Later, many cases like that of Rubaiya Saeed happened, Saifuddin Soz’s daughter was also kidnapped
Nearly two years after the Rubaiya Sayeed kidnapping case, on 27 February 1991, terrorists kidnapped Naheeda Imtiaz, daughter of Saifuddin Soz, another prominent leader of the state. This too was carried out by the Jammu and Kashmir Students Liberation Front. The terrorists demanded the release of their comrades in exchange for Naheeda’s release. At that time, there was a Chandrashekhar-led government at the Centre. A few days later, the terrorists released Naheeda. Subramanian Swamy, who was a minister at the Centre at that time, later said in one of his/her articles that no terrorist was released in exchange for Naheeda’s release. However, some news reports have claimed that the government had released separatist Mushtaq Ahmed in exchange for the release of Saifuddin Soz’s daughter. Now Omar Abdullah has tried to say in a way that the foundation of the Kandahar plane hijacking case was laid in the Rubaiya Sayeed case itself when the government released dreaded terrorists.

Vajpayee government had to release 3 dreaded terrorists in Kandahar kidnapping case
Nearly 10 years after the Rubaiya kidnapping case, on 24 December 1999, terrorists hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814. That flight was coming from Nepal’s capital Kathmandu to Delhi. The terrorists landed the plane in Kandahar, Afghanistan. For the safe release of the passengers, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee released 3 dreaded terrorists.