TeM releases probe report in Moulana Showkat killing

‘Munshi, Gazali, Nisar not our members’

Srinagar: Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TeM) militant outfit Monday distanced itself from assassination of Jamiat Ahle Hadees president Moulana Showkat Ahmad Shah, saying accused arrested in the crime were no longer members of the outfit.
The All Party Investigating Committee (APIC) setup by various separatists and religious groups to probe the murder had earlier released report of Lashker-e-Toiba on August 25 which had identified Javed Ahmad Munshi alias Bil Papa and Nisar Ahmad as prime accused in killing Moulana.
The LeT report had stated that Munshi and Nisar were introduced to them by Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen’s Abu Umair, “the right-hand man of (Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen Ameer) Sheikh Jameel-ul-Rehman.” “Abu Umair, who lives in Muzaffarabad and carries out Tehreek’s operational work, sought our (Lashkar) support, saying he had plenty of men and he would carry out the operations. Carefully, we extended our help and hence came into contact with Tehreek’s field operatives. Among these Munshi was the Ameer of one group while Nisar Ahmad belonged to another group,” the LeT report had said.
However, the TeM report released by the APIC today says that Munshi and Nisar were not associated with TeM ‘in any capacity.’
“If anybody can prove that Munshi had any type of contact with TeM from the last two years, we are ready to face any punishment. As TeM leadership knew that Munshi was working for the LeT from the last two years, we didn’t find it appropriate to investigate him” said the TeM report sent to the APIC.
“The cell phone details of Munshi can be verified and if it is proven that he wan in contact with Jameel-u-Rehman, we are ready to accept the crime,” the report adds.
The TeM has also distanced itself from Abdul Gani Dar alias Abdullah Gazali arrested in the killing of Moulana Showkat.
“Dar was with the TeM till 2001 and after his arrest same year his role in TeM ended. After his release he (Dar) joined Sout-ul-Haq. But according to report after some internal problems with the leadership of Sout-ul-Haq, he (Dar) left it. Jameel-u-Rehman had very less contact with Dar. Six months before the martyrdom of Moulan Showkat, Jameel-u-Rehman talked to Dar on phone to convey condolences on the demise of Dar’s brother,” the report says.
The TeM has appealed the APIC to verify the call details of Dar “and if it is proven that Jameel-u-Rehman had spoken a single word against Moulana Showkat, we are ready to accept the crime.”
The LeT report released last week had quoted Mohammad Imran, known as ‘Fidayeen’ in Kashmir jails as saying that Munshi had told him that they had killed Moulana Showkat and would soon kill (JKLF chairman) Mohammad Yasin Malik and others.
Maulana Showkat was killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast outside a masjid in Maisuma area of the city on April 8 this year.(KNS)