‘What About Women You Widowed?’: Terror Victims Reject Yasin Malik’s Affidavit

Families of those killed by the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) in the 1990s have strongly condemned a fresh affidavit filed by jailed chief Yasin Malik in a Srinagar court. The affidavit relates to the killing of nurse Sarla Bhat in 1990, in which Malik has reportedly offered himself for the death penalty and announced divorce from his wife.

Relatives of the victims have dismissed the move as a publicity stunt aimed at generating sympathy. Nirmal Khanna, whose husband Squadron Leader Ravi Khanna was killed by JKLF terrorists in January 1990, said Malik is shedding crocodile tears. She asserted that he deserves nothing less than the death sentence, recalling that her unarmed husband was shot 28 times.

Khanna questioned Malik's concern for his wife's future as a widow, pointing to the many women left widowed by the violence he led. She also expressed frustration over the long delay in justice, asking why the government and judiciary have taken 36 years to resolve the matter.

Dr Sushma Shalla, whose father Inspector Chuni Lal Shalla was killed by JKLF in 1990, echoed these sentiments. She said Malik is finally being made to pay for his sins and questioned his sudden display of emotion, noting that her own mother was forced to live as a widow because of his actions.

Eyewitness accounts from the 1990 killing of Air Force personnel at a Srinagar bus stop identified Malik as the main shooter. The victims' families are now waiting for the legal process to conclude, insisting that Malik must face the ultimate punishment.