A top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Wasim Ahmed Malik,who allegedly masterminded the 1995 Republic Day blast at MA Stadium in Jammu which killed 12 people and injured 60 the then Governor General K V Krishna Rao also had a narrow escape was arrested from Kishtwar on Thursday night. Malik was arrested following a specific tip-off,Deputy Inspector General H K Lohia said. We had a specific information about his presence last evening in Kishtwar town,following which a joint raid was conducted by Army troops and a team of the Special Operations Group (SOG),Kishtwar,besides the local police, Lohia said. At the time of the arrest,no weapon was recovered, he said,adding,the top ultra is being interrogated with regard to his involvement in militancy-related crimes,and he is yet to reveal anything. After initial questioning,the ultra would be sent to the Joint Interrogation Centre,Jammu,for a sustained interrogation. Following the blast,Malik,also known as Abu Hamza,escaped to PoK and stayed there for a decade,sources said. He returned in 2005 and started operating in the Kashmir Valley,where he surrendered in early 2006. The ultra was jailed for over a year and was released in 2007,they added.
