NEW DELHI: Former Afghan President Najibullah’s wife, her mother-in-law and three daughters have been camping in two ITI (Indian Telephone Industries) bungalows at the Asiad Village for the past two months,
They and three other associates are being guarded round the clock by a 70-strong police contingent, consisting of commandos from the security unit, besides personnel from the Delhi Armed Police and the Maharashtra State Reserve Police.
The presence of the family has irked several of the colony’s senior executives, who complain of restrictions placed on them and their families by the police.
According to highly placed sources in the Delhi Police, the welfare of the family is being jointly looked after by the Ministries of Home and External Affairs. The family was shifted to the Lavy Pinto block in the village complex from Ashoka Hotel some time ago. Following this, the Home Ministry ordered the security unit of the Delhi Police to keep a round-the clock watch over the family.
The sources said the Home Ministry was making monthly rental payments for the two palatial bungalows to the Maha nagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (ITI has sub-let the houses to the Nigam). Two white Ambassador Cars, with drivers, have also been put at the disposal of the Najibullah family,
The bill for these is being picked up by the Ministry of External Affairs. Najibullah’s wife, who is the sister of the former Afghan Ambassador to India, Ahmed Sarvar, was whisked away by NSG guards to Ashoka Hotel in an early morning operation in April. The followed reports that the Afghan Embassy staff (she was staying with her brother in the premises) had turned hostile, The family subsequently shifted to the Asiad Village.
Eyewitnesses say the group has been keeping a low profile ever since. They rarely step out of the two houses. Most of their shopping is done by Indian servants who have been hired specially for the purpose. There is an imposing barricade placed just outside the twin bungalows, and every entrant is searched by plainclothes men before entering. (“The Pioneer” team managed to get a photograph after considerable difficulty),
The security structure is a three tier one.
The first tier occupies the front lawn and the garden. While some security men in this group arc constantly moving about, others have set up base in sandbag bunkers, The men, crack commandos of the security wing, are armed with machine-guns and stenguns.
The second tier, consisting of Delhi Armed Police units, guards the two lanes that lead to the house. The third tier forms the outer ring of security and is placed all around the block. Over the past few weeks, this tier has been extended to the adjacent Nikka Singh block and the adjoining sports complex.
Units belonging to the Maharastra State Reserve Police stay in tents and have been entrusted the responsibility of keeping nosy parkers away. In all close to 70 personnel have been deployed to look after the security of the family, according to the sources.
Such is the cloak of secrecy around the house that even next door neighbors haven’t a clue to the identity of the family. All they know is that a VIP stays here.
For those living in the area, a direct fallout of the security apparatus is the disruption of social activities.
Said the chairman of a public sector company, who stays in Lavy Pinto block: There is an eerie air about the place. I rarely complete an evening walk without being eyed by security men.” The executive complains that even his children have been dissuaded from playing in the area. A senior official of the Delhi Police admits that he has received a number of complaints of harass ment, and that there had even been demands that the family be shifted to another venue. But the official shrugs helplessness Unless there are orders from the ministry, We cannot shift them out.”
Home Ministry sources, however, pointed out that the administrative and financial aspects had been cleared by the Cabinet Secretariat, and therefore, even they were dependent on orders from the top.
Security sources said the Afghan: family was being provided *Z” category security following threats received while the family was staying at Ashoka Hotel. The sources are apprehensive that the substantial Afghan population in the Capital may have proses! against Najibullah’s family, since it is the former Afghan President’s regime that forced them to become exiles and refugees.
Article extracted from this publication >> Aug 21, 1992
