Srinagar: The Burqa-clad woman who had hurled a petrol bomb at a CRPF camp in Sopore town of Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Tuesday (March 29) evening has been arrested, Jammu and Kashmir Police said.
Vijay Kumar IGP Kashmir, who confirmed the arrest, informed that the Burqa-clad woman was identified as Haseena Akhtar, a resident of Baramulla. She was a member of the banned terrorist organisation Dukhtaran-e-Millat (run by terrorist Asiya Andrabi) and was released on bail a few months ago.
According to Kumar, Akhtar is an OGW (over-ground worker) of LeT and there are three FIRs filed against her under UAPA.
The IGP further informed that Haseena Akhtar is the wife of Mohammed Yousuf Bhat, a resident of Sheeri Baramulla, who was a stone-pelter and had been arrested under the Public Safety Act (PSA) in 2016 for 17 months.
The 28-year-old Haseena Akhtar attended Darul Uloom for her primary education. She finished Class X at Hanfia School in Sheeri.
According to the IGP, she came into contact with Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi, a pro-Pakistan separatist who has been dreaming for years now to free Kashmir from India, in 2008-10 and adopted extremist ideology. Dukhtaran-e-Millat is Kashmir’s biggest network of ‘women jihadis’, as claimed by Andrabi herself.
Haseena Akhtar was involved in the posting posters of the Pakistan based terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in 2019. At that time, the Jammu and Kashmir police had arrested her under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention). She was later released on bail in December 2021.
IGP Kashmir claimed that Haseena Akhtar was evading arrest following the Sopore incident but was eventually apprehended.
A video has gone viral on the internet in which it was seen that a burqa-clad terrorist was seen throwing a bomb at a CRPF post. The unidentified terrorist, who was seen in Islamic gear, stopped in the middle of the street, took a bomb out of his/her bag, and threw it at the CRPF camp.
The terrorist was seen running runs away from the spot immediately afterwards.
A few two-wheelers were also seen passing by when the terrorist hurled bombs at the camp. The CRPF camp burnt in flames as bystanders poured water to douse the fire caused by the petrol bomb.
The Dukhtaran-e-Milat is a radical separatist group in Jammu and Kashmir. The NIA raided this organisation in 2019 in connection with a number of terror funding cases.
The banned secessionist organisation Dukhtaran-e-Millat is headed by Asiya Andrabi, a pro-Pakistan separatist who has been dreaming for years now to free Kashmir from India. Dukhtaran-e-Millat is Kashmir’s biggest network of ‘women jihadis’, as claimed by Andrabi herself.
According to reports, in the early 1980s, Asiya was associated with running a madrasa for women – “Talimul Quran”, a precursor to Dukhtaran-e-Millat, where she invited women to read, understand and practice their faith. She is considered to be the one who radicalised the Muslim women in the valley and mobilised them against India.
Asiya Andrabi is alleged to be the backbone behind the stone-pelting apparatus in Kashmir. She had supported Pakistani separatist Masarat Alam in the series of stone-pelting rallies across Kashmir by using her village network of Dukhtaran-e-Millat operatives. She has several cases against her for instigating terror in the valley.
Andrabi, known for her hateful anti-India activities, is also a member of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference and has been arrested on several occasions for her involvement in separatist movements.
During the investigation, Asiya Andrabi had revealed that she came in close contact with Lashkar-e-Taiba kingpin Hafeez Saaed through a serving Pakistan Army officer. It is important to note that Andrabi’s nephew is a captain rank officer in the Pakistan Army. She also has close relatives having links with Pakistan Army and its intelligence agency ISI.