NEW DELHI, Dec 19: The Jammu and Kashmir police have submitted a chargesheet connecting the Syed Ali Shah Geelani faction to the 2020 murder of Advocate Babar Qadri, a member of the J&K Bar Association. Sources indicate that a lawyer affiliated with the Geelani faction contracted The Resistance Front (TRF), a terror group linked to Lashkar, to carry out the killing of Qadri.
CNN-News18 has uncovered explosive details from the chargesheet, which claims the Geelani faction aimed to dominate the J&K Bar Association and viewed Qadri, an emerging lawyer, as a threat due to his popularity and political ambitions.
Hours before his murder, Qadri went live on Facebook, a video of which has been obtained by CNN-News18.
The Jammu & Kashmir Police presented the charges against Advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom, former president of the High Court Bar Association (HCBA) in Kashmir, to the Special NIA Judge in the notable Babar Qadri murder case.
Babar Qadri was fatally shot by terrorists on September 24, 2020, at his home in Zahidpora (Hawal), Srinagar.
In the course of the initial investigation, six individuals, including an active terrorist, were implicated and charged before the Special NIA Court in Srinagar during 2021.
Yet, in July 2023, the case was reassigned to the SIA for further investigation.
During this period, the family of the victim became increasingly wary as they faced threats and pressure not to pursue the case legally.
Who Is Mian Qayoom?
The SIA’s investigation, based on a combination of eyewitness, documentary, and technical evidence, uncovered Mian Qayoom’s direct involvement in the murder.
Mian Qayoom, a known separatist, has been a close associate of the late Syed Ali Shah Geelani since the early 1990s and reportedly had antagonistic relations with Qadri, who challenged his dominance within the Kashmiri Bar Association. Reports indicate that the murdered advocate had publicly criticized Qayoom for leveraging the HCBA Kashmir to promote his separatist agenda.
Babar Qadri also founded a rival group within the HCBA called the Kashmir Lawyers Club, and was considering running against Mian Abdul Qayoom in elections, which was reportedly unwelcome to Qayoom.
There are sources claiming that Mian Qayoom had issued threats to Qadri through his close associates within the HCBA.
Sources reveal that Mian Qayoom has gained infamy over the past two decades for treating the HCBA Kashmir as his personal domain and aligning it closely with the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC). He has issued protest calendars in the Kashmir Valley on behalf of the HCBA, coinciding with strike calls issued by the late Syed Ali Shah Geelani-led APHC.
Qayoom’s arrogance, backed by separatist allies, led him to openly reject the Constitution of India in court, while ironically running a lucrative legal practice in the very High Court established under that Constitution.
The SIA’s thorough investigation demonstrated that Mian Qayoom conspired with members of the banned TRF. The TRF, a proxy of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), emerged following the reorganization of the former J&K State on August 5, 2019, and is linked with its handlers in Pakistan.
On September 24, 2020, terrorists entered Qadri’s house and shot him, ultimately leading to his demise while being transported to Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, according to the chargesheet.
Notably, Babar Qadri had a foreboding feeling on the day he was killed, as he had gone live on Facebook a few hours prior to the incident, voicing his concerns about his safety.
Tragically, later that same evening, he was murdered by assailants who entered his home under the guise of clients seeking legal advice.
Mian Qayoom was taken into custody on June 25, 2024, and has since been held at the District Jail in Jammu.
Although the initial proceedings took place in Srinagar, the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir transferred the trial to Jammu in December 2023, acknowledging his interference in the judicial process and the threats directed toward the victim’s family by Mian Qayoom.
On Thursday, the police filed a comprehensive supplementary chargesheet totaling 340 pages against Mian Qayoom before the Special Judge under the NIA Act in Jammu. The trial against Qayoom is anticipated to commence shortly. (CNN-News18)
Leave a Reply