Jammu: A second "key witness" has identified Yasin Malik, the jailed Kashmiri separatist leader, as the "main shooter" in the 1990 attack that killed four Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel in Srinagar. The victims, including Squadron Leader Ravi Khanna, were waiting for a staff bus in Rawalpora on January 25, 1990, when terrorists opened fire, also wounding 22 others.

The witness testified before a Jammu Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court. This testimony comes nearly two years after a retired IAF colleague of the victims first identified Malik as the primary assailant. The unnamed witness's testimony in a TADA court in Jammu occurred last Friday. During cross-examination by Malik, the witness stated that his recognition was clear, noting only a change in Malik's beard.

Malik, chief of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), is serving a life sentence in Delhi’s Tihar Jail in a terror funding case since May 2022. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has appealed to the Delhi High Court, seeking the death sentence for him. In addition to Malik, the witness identified three other accused individuals—Showkat Bakshi, Nanna Ji, and Javed Ahmad—as being involved in the attack. Officials quoted the second eyewitness as testifying that one of the other arrested men, Nana Ji, trained an AK-47 rifle on him and was about to fire before turning away. The witness recounted the harrowing experience, explaining how they managed to rush an injured official to the hospital. According to the witness, it was the next day they learned that four of the injured officials had died.

Malik participated in the proceedings via video conferencing, as ordered by the Supreme Court. Co-accused Javed Mir, Muhammad Rafiq Pahloo alias Saleem Nana Ji, and Shaukat Bakshi also appeared before the court. The Supreme Court had previously denied Malik's request to be physically present for the trial in Jammu.

The special public prosecutor, Monika Kohli, noted that Shaukat Bakshi and Javed Mir were present in the courtroom, while Malik and Nana Ji attended via video link. The court has permitted cross-examination of prime witnesses, with CBI’s Special Prosecutor SK Bhat present. The next hearing is scheduled for November 29.