The disappearance of a Scottish tourist in the Kashmir Valley 26 years ago has come to haunt Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, with Interpol seeking the assistance of Jammu and Kashmir police to question him in connection with the matter.

Police, while reopening the case, have informed Interpol that Salahuddin is in Pakistan and sought the help of the world police organisation to extradite him, highly placed sources in the state government said.

Allison McDowell went missing in 1981, when she and another tourist from Scotland went trekking in the Sonamarg hills in north Jammu and Kashmir.

After initial investigations by the state police, the matter was closed after some time as she could not be traced, the sources said.

The case was reopened recently when police received a communication from Interpol in London, seeking their assistance in interrogating Salahuddin, who was described by the world police body as an Indian citizen.

The move by Interpol's London unit was based on a telephonic interview by Salahuddin in 2000, in which he claimed responsibilities for several terrorist acts, the sources said.