The arrest of a dreaded Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorist Syed Liaquat Shah who was planning fidayeen attack during festive season as claimed by Delhi police on Friday seems that it may end up as a botched up case of innocent being arrested as terrorist to score brownie points.

The “terrorist”, who has been shown as arrested from an Old Delhi guest house with 220 grams of plastic explosives, AK-56 assault rifle, two magazines and three grenades by the special cell, was in fact, returning along with another disillusioned former militant Md Ashraf Mir from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) to settle back in Kashmir under the surrender and rehabilitation policy of J&K government, sources said.

Both Shah, a resident of Kupwara and Mir, resident of Bandipora, were travelling along with their families after taking great risk of fleeing from PoK and reaching India via Kathmandu on Pakistani documents.

They were part of now disbanded Al Barq group (The Lightening) but had not taken part in any terror activity. Their names were cleared by the Army, central agencies and the JK police after a thorough check up of their antecedents.

Shah was with his wife and 18 year old daughter while Mir was traveling with his five children and wife when they reached border on March 20 and informed the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) that guards the Indo-Nepal Border.

However, the SSB took them and their families into custody and handed them over to the Special Cell of the Delhi Police. Both J&K Police and central agencies approached Delhi police to release them and allow them to reach Srinagar where they would be placed under arrest for some time as per the procedure before being released under watch.

Another gaping hole in Delhi police’s theory appeared when thumping their own chest about the arrest it told reporters that were instructed by United Jihad Council in January 2013 to carry out terror attacks in retaliation of Afzal Guru’s hanging. But when probed the Delhi Police could not explain how they can decide to retaliate prior to Guru’s hanging who was hanged on February 9.

@manankmr