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Jammu
lawyer turns 'judge,' orders killing
Sanjeev
Pargal
Advocate
Mehmood Qureshi did more than take the law into his own hands
when he joined a militant outfit in the Valley. The 43-year-old
lawyer crowned himself a judge and since he quit the bar, has
declared ‘judgement’ on numerous civilians, who are then killed
by militants.
More
than a dozen civilians including three women have allegedly been
killed by militants on Qureshi’s directions.
Security
forces have now launched a special operation in Pir Panjal range in
Poonch district to find Qureshi, who was prominent advocate in
Surankote before he switched to militancy in 1994.
Official
sources said Qureshi, who had disappeared into Pakistan Occupied
Kashmir, had returned to Surankote a few months ago. He is allegedly
linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
Security
forces recently learnt that Qureshi was acting as the militants’
judge and directing the slaying of civilians, who he branded
informers because they were voluntarily co-operating with security
forces and the police.
Last
week, security forces recovered a note written in Urdu from the
house of Mohammed Hafeez in Draba, Surankote. Hafeez was shot dead
in his home. The note was titled ‘fatwa’ and signed by Mehmood
Qureshi (Mehmood Hamza, code name) which said he had condemned
Hafeez for acting as an “informer”.
According
to sources, Qureshi has set up a hideout in the Pir Panjal range in
Surankote from where he was signing the “death warrants”.
Qureshi
was reportedly instrumental in the recruitment of over 200 local
youth to militancy from different areas of Poonch and Rajouri
districts.
In
late 1994, he crossed over to PoK as security forces learnt of his
militant links and launched a manhunt for him.
Sources
said the local residents of Surankote, who once held Qureshi in high
esteem for his legal skills, have turned against him as they
believed that the civilians killed by the Lashkar cadre at his
behest were innocent.
By
an EXCLUSIVE arrangement with Mid Day, Mumbai
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