New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik has claimed before the Delhi High Court that far from being a terrorist, he was repeatedly engaged by six successive Indian governments from VP Singh to Manmohan Singh to participate in peace initiatives on Kashmir.

He alleged that meetings facilitated by the Indian establishment were later "twisted" to portray him as a conspirator.

Malik, who is serving a life sentence in a 2017 terror-funding case, made these assertions in detailed written submissions filed in response to the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) appeal seeking the death penalty against him.

According to Malik, his engagement began in the early 2000s when the then Intelligence Bureau (...