'She was a liberal...': Who is Shaheen Shahid, Al-Falah University doctor probed for links with Pak-based Jaish and Masood Azhar's sister

Lucknow-based woman doctor, Dr Shaheen Shahid was arrested in connection with Faridabad terror module busted by Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, and the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Now, the probe agencies are examining a possible link between Dr Shaheen and the Red Fort car blast. The Faridabad module was busted after the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police ran an operation to find a terror module linked to two terror outfits — Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AguH). Earlier, Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, also named as Muzammil Shakeel in some reports, was arrested after authorities recovered large caches of explosives from rented premises in Dhauj village, Faridabad.

Who is Dr Shaheen Shahid and what is her alleged role?

Dr Shaheen Shahid has emerged as a key figure in “white-collar” terror module linked to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and can be a primary link in the Red Fort car blast. A 43-year-old doctor once employed in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, was born and raised in Lucknow, and is the daughter of Shahid Ansari, retired state health department officer. She completed her MBBS from Prayagraj and then joined GSVM Medical College, Kanpur, as a lecturer in 2006. She left her job in 2013 without notice and then moved to Faridabad. She reportedly came in contact with Dr Muzammil Shakeel and then joined Al Falah University.

On the personal front, Shaheen got married to a Maharashtra resident named Zafar Hayat who also worked at GSVM Kanpur, but the two got divorced in 2015. “We were married, and then got divorced in 2012. After that, I had no idea where she was, and I never kept in touch. We have two children, both of whom live with me. She was a liberal, never particularly religious. She always intended for us to settle in Australia or Europe,” Dr Hayat Zafar told NDTV. Meanwhile, probe agencies also raided her Lucknow residence and reportedly detained Shaheen’s brother, Parvez Ansari for questioning. They seized laptops, mobile phones and hard drives. Parvez, who served as a senior resident in the medicine department of Integral University, had resigned from the university a week earlier. He said that he had spoken to Shaheen a month ago.

After joining Al Falah University, Shaheen and Muzammil stayed together and were in a relationship, Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) revealed. Investigative agency sources said that Shaheen might be in touch with Sadia Azhar, sister of JeM founder Masood Azhar, who heads the women’s wing in Pakistan. Sadia’s husband, Yusuf Azhar, was one of the masterminds behind the 1999 Kandahar hijacking and was killed during Operation Sindoor. Shaheen was allegedly given the task to expand JeM’s recruitment base in India.

Red Fort car blast

On Monday (Nov 10), a massive blast in a Hyundai i20 rocked Delhi, near the iconic Red Fort, killing at least eight people and injuring 20 others. Previously, a CCTV footage revealed that the vehicle had a Haryana registration number and the suspect driving the car was seen wearing a black mask. The fatal blast followed a massive seizure of around 350 kilogram of explosives, an AK-47 rifle, as well a large cache of ammunition from Faridabad. The probe agencies are now trying to establish a connection between Red Fort blast accused and Faridabad terror module busted on November 10.

Also Read | 'Take it as warning...': Al-Falah university website hacked amid probe on Red Fort car blast, Faridabad terror module