Who Is Rubaiya Sayeed? Mehbooba Mufti's Sister Names Militants Who Kidnapped Her

Mehbooba Mufti’s sister Rubaiya Sayeed named terrorist Yasin Malik and three others as culprits in her kidnapping in 1989. She was kidnapped by Kashmiri separatist militants.

Rubaiya Sayeed named four people in the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act court, including Yasin Malik. Sayeed is the daughter of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and the sister of Mehbooba Mufti.

In 1989, Sayeed, the daughter of the then Union Home Minister was kidnapped by the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), led by Yasin Malik at the time. In a TADA court in Jammu, she mentioned four people who were involved in her kidnapping. She gave a taped testimony in court and identified everyone using pictures provided to her by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

She identified Malik along with three other culprits in her kidnapping.

Who Is Rubaiya Sayeed?

• Rubaiya Sayeed is the daughter of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the former Home Minister of India. Her sister Mehbooba Mufti is a politician and served as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir until 2018.
• In 1989, Sayeed was kidnapped by Kashmiri separatist militants in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. The kidnappers were members of JKLF and demanded the release of five jailed members in exchange for Sayeed’s release.
• At the time of the kidnapping, Rubaiya Sayeed was 23 years old and worked as a medical intern at Lal Ded Memorial Women’s Hospital.
• On December 8, 1989, Sayeed was kidnapped while returning home from the Lal Ded Memorial Women’s Hospital in a local bus. She was forced out of the vehicle by four people at gunpoint and forced into a waiting car.
• The JKLF contacted the newspaper Kashmir Times and stated that Sayeed would be released if jailed five JKLF members were released.
• At the time of the kidnapping, the Indian government was led by then Prime Minister VP Singh of the Janta Dal Party. On December 13, 1989, the government agreed to the demands of the militants and released the prisoners in exchange for Sayeed.
• Sayeed was released by JKLF two hours following the release of the five jailed militants. The key leader of the JKLF Yasin Malik at the time is under trial for the kidnapping and was named by Rubaiya Sayeed as one of the culprits.

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