New Delhi: Delhi Police on Wednesday recorded the
statement of pro-Pakistan hardliner Hurriyat Chairman Syed Ali
Shah Geelani in connection with the allegations that he had
given a recommendation letter to arrested Lashkar-e-Toiba
(LeT) militant Athesham Malik for getting a Pakistani visa.
82-year-old Geelani, whose recommendation letter`s xerox
copy was recovered from the belongings of Malik, arrived at
the Special Cell at Lodhi Road along with his son-in-law Altaf
Fantoosh and close aide Shafi Reshi, official sources said.
Geelani, who had set the pro-Pakistan and hardline tone
in Jamaat-e-Islami, was shown the papers and asked about his
relation with Malik and who had introduced the Lashkar
terrorist to him, they said.
According to the investigators, they had received a copy
of the recommendation letter given by Geelani to 24-year-old
Malik who went to Pakistan in December last year where he
received training for fabrication of Improvised Explosive
Devices (IEDs).
A laboratory technician, Malik was earlier associated
with Lashkar in Sopore in Jammu and Kashmir and was arrested
in 2007 along with two others.
Geelani`s spokesperson, Ayaz Akbar, had earlier said
that, "we don`t know about this case. But generally, if any
Kashmiri comes to Geelani sahab for recommendation, he gives
his recommendation only because they being Kashmiri. But then
how can he know why he wants to go there and what his motive
is?"
PTI
