PDP demands high-level probe against BJP leadership for 'sheltering' LeT terrorist

PDP on Tuesday staged a protest demonstration in Jammu against the BJP over alleged association of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Talib Hussain with the saffron party and demanded a high-level probe against the leadership for facilitating his entry without verification of his antecedents.

Dozens of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) activists led by General Secretary Amrik Singh Reen came out from party headquarters at Gandhi Nagar and staged a protest to denounce the BJP for facilitating the entry of the dreaded LeT terrorist and also assigning him a top post.

Hussain along with his associate Faisal Ahmad Dar were overpowered by the villagers of remote Tukson Dhok in Reasi district early Sunday and later handed over to police. Two AK assault rifles, a pistol, seven grenades and a large quantity of ammunition were recovered from them.

Some pictures emerged on social media purportedly showing Hussain with BJP leaders. One of the pictures shows J-K BJP president Ravinder Raina purportedly presenting him with a bouquet and a letter issued by party leader Sheikh Bashir on May 9, assigning him the responsibility of new IT and social media incharge of Minority Morcha (Jammu province).

The BJP has denied that Hussain was an active member of the party and claimed that he introduced himself as a reporter of a news portal and visited the party headquarters as part of a Pakistani conspiracy to target the party leaders.

They are misleading the people by making false claims. The reality is that he was a member of the BJP and was heading its IT and social media of its minority community cell, PDP spokesperson Varinder Singh Sonu told reporters.

Sonu questioned Hussain's presence in the meeting with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and said if going by the leaks in the social media, his presence in the BJP was a big threat to the national security.

He said this is the same BJP which was providing nationalist certificates to the people and defaming other parties for being close to terrorists.

Had the LeT terrorist been affiliated with any other party, BJP would have gone all out to press for banning of that party and arrest of the leadership. His pictures with Ravinder Raina (J&K BJP chief) and other leaders demand a high level probe and resignation of the party leaders for facilitating entry of such a terrorist in the party, Sonu said.

The PDP leader said while one Hussain was exposed, who knows how many more such terrorists are present in the BJP.

As the protest was going on, a group of PDP youth activists led by their vice president Rajat Gupta made an attempt to march towards the nearby Jammu-Airport road amid chanting of anti-BJP slogans.

However, police personnel who were deployed in strength stopped the protesters at the main road and later pushed them back.

Later, the protesters returned to the PDP headquarters peacefully.