Yasin Malik claims ex-PM Manmohan Singh thanked him for meeting Hafiz Saeed

New Delhi:Jailed Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik, serving a life sentence in a terror funding case, has made startling claims in an affidavit submitted to the Delhi High Court. Malik alleged that his 2006 meeting in Pakistan with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed was held at the behest of India’s Intelligence Bureau (IB) and not on his own initiative. Malik stated that the meeting was part of a backchannel peace process and was later misrepresented as evidence of his proximity to terror groups.

According to Malik, then Special Director of IB, VK Joshi, met him in Delhi before his Pakistan visit after the Kashmir earthquake of 2005. He was reportedly asked to engage not only with Pakistani political leaders but also with militant figures like Saeed to make peace efforts credible. Malik said Saeed subsequently organised a gathering of jihadist groups, where he delivered a speech urging militants to embrace peace and reconciliation.

Manmohan Singh’s alleged response

The most sensational part of Malik’s affidavit is his claim that after returning to New Delhi, he was asked to brief then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the presence of NSA MK Narayanan. Malik alleged that Singh personally thanked him for reaching out to hardline leaders and even described him as the “father of the non-violent movement in Kashmir.” Malik said this showed government sanction for his actions, dismissing charges that he independently sought contact with terrorists.

Political implications and lingered shadows

Malik also detailed how successive governments from VP Singh to Atal Bihari Vajpayee had engaged him in dialogues on Kashmir and international platforms. His claims, if true, raise serious concerns over India’s covert peace tactics and outreach to separatists in 2006.

However, given Malik’s record of terror-related crimes- including the killing of four Indian Air Force officers in 1990 and the abduction of former Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s daughter- his statements are bound to ignite a fresh political storm. For victims of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus, Malik remains a central figure of historic betrayal and violence, making his new claims both sensitive and explosive.

The affidavit surfaces as the Delhi High Court considers the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) appeal to enhance Yasin Malik’s life sentence to a death penalty in the 2017 terror-funding case. The court has directed Malik to respond by November 10. In 2022, Malik had pleaded guilty under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and was sentenced to life imprisonment. At the time, the trial court ruled that his case did not meet the threshold of the "rarest of rare" category required for a death sentence.

Ongoing ban on JKLF

The NIA’s charges accused Malik, along with figures such as Hafiz Saeed, Syed Salahuddin, and Shabbir Shah, of conspiring with Pakistan-based terror groups to incite unrest in Kashmir. Meanwhile, a UAPA tribunal has extended the ban on the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) for another five years, stressing that no leniency can be given to organisations that promote separatism or secessionist ideologies.