JKLF Chief Yasin Malik Identified as Main Shooter in 1990 Attack on IAF Personnel

Yasin Malik, the chief of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), has been identified as the main shooter in the 1990 Rawalpora terror attack that claimed the lives of four Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel. The survivor and key prosecution witness, Rajwar Umeshwar Singh, positively identified Malik during the court proceedings.

The incident occurred on January 25, 1990, when Rajwar and a group of IAF personnel were waiting for a pickup bus in Rawalpora, Srinagar. Eyewitnesses recall Malik pulling out a gun from under his ‘pheran’ and opening fire on the IAF personnel, resulting in the death of Squadron Leader Ravi Khanna and injuring 40 others.

Despite the passage of 34 years, Rajwar’s identification of Yasin Malik as the main shooter stands strong. The retired officer pointed to Malik during the court session, held via video from Delhi’s Tihar Jail, where Malik has been detained since 2019 in a terror funding case.

The court proceedings revealed that the next hearing dates are scheduled for February 15 and 16. Yasin Malik is facing two trials before the special TADA court in Jammu.

Alongside Malik, other accused in the case include JKLF operatives Ali Mohammed Mir, Manzoor Ahmed Sofi alias Mustafa, Javed Ahmed Mir alias ‘Nalka,’ Showkat Ahmed Bakshi, Javed Ahmed Zargar, and Nanaji.

It is noteworthy that Yasin Malik is also entangled in a separate case related to the kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of then Union home minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. The kidnapping occurred on December 8, 1989, and Malik is accused of orchestrating it to secure the release of JKLF terrorists. Despite being given the option to cross-examine eyewitnesses, Malik has refused and continues to press for physical appearance in court.