SRINAGAR: Revelations of one of the two eyewitnesses to the murder of Dr. Qazi Nissar Ahmed has raised doubts on the versions of the murder given by the government and the Hizbul Mujaht dewan.
The eyewitness is Javed Ahmed Parey, owner-dniver of the taxi in which Dr. Qazi Nisar Ahmed travelled, from a militant hideout in Pyathdayalgam in Anantnag at 10:30 p.m. before being shot dead by two militants.
He said the killers belonged to the Hizbul Mujahideen and he had recognized them. He refuted the government claims of Abu Bakr, a local Hizbul Mujahideen commander being the killer.
The 26-year-old Parrey said he had chosen to break his silence through the press since he feared that militant groups might kill him. He did not surrender to the police for he had no faith in them, “Neither does he believe in taking ref uge under senior militant political leaders, who were probing the Killing of Dr. Nissar. “They work under diktats of gun,” he said.
On June 19, Parrey said, he had returned from Srinagar to his home in Pyethdalaygam village, about S km, from Ananinag town, at 5:30 pm. At 7:30 p.m. the local Amir (chief) of the Jamat-e-Islami, Mohammed, Yusuf Mir, called at his home and asked for the taxi. Mir is a teacher in a local government school, he said.
Parrey’s family lied to Mir by saying that he was away from home. He said it was common practice with the nine taxi drivers of the village to say no to militants for two reasons one that there was not enough remuneration and second for the fear of being caught by security forces.
At 9:30 p.m., Farooq Ahmed, alias Siddique, a Hizbul Mujahideen, militant of Anantnag, who had been living in the village for one month, came to his house and forced him to take the assignment of dropping “Qazi Saheb at Anantnag.
Ghulam Nabi Gadda, a Jamat-Islami Worker and Siddiqui a Hizbul Mujahideen militant sat with Dr. Nissar in Parre’s taxi.
Dr. Nissar looked relaxed and) smoked a cigarette, Parrey said. To escape questions by security” forces enroute, Dr. Nissar advised? All the three that that they should dish-out a story above Dr. Nissar” sudden illness as the cause of the journey. Siddique got dropped at Pyethbugh, and warmly shook” hands with Dr. Nissar. On driving” further, Parrey spotted two gun-wielding Hizbul militants Abdullah Bhai and Mussadiq on” the road.
They were stopped and asked to raise their hands. When Dr. Nissar identified himself the two militants said “hame patta hai, to saala_ ‘Qazi Nissar hai, (we know you are Qazi Nissar).
Gadda and Parrey were slapped and asked to duck in the taxi while they shot dead Dr. Nissar from the point blank range after making him walk a few steps.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 5, 1994
