NIA summons Kashmir lawyers’ body’s president to New Delhi

Srinagar: India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has summoned advocate Mian Qayoom, president Kashmir High Court Bar Association, to its New Delhi headquarters on Wednesday to answer ‘certain questions related to a case registered by it under offences among other waging war’ and unlawful activities.’

The summon to advocate Qayoom calls him to appear before the investigating officer at NIA Headquarters, NDCC Building-II, Jail Singh Road New Delhi, on September 6 Wednesday). He has been asked to answer certain questions related to the case—RC 10/2017/ NIA/DLI, 120B, 121, 121A of IPC and 13, 16, 17,18,20, 38, and 40 of UA(P) Act, registered at NIA Police Station, New Delhi.

According to NIA, the case was registered after Government of India received “credible information” that “Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Amir of Jammat-ud-Dawah and the secessionist and separatist leaders including the members/cadres of the Hurriyat Confrence, have been acting in connivance with active militants of proscribed organisations Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Dukhtaran-e- Millat, Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and other organisations/associations/gangs” for raising, receiving and collecting funds domestically and abroad through various “illegal” channels, including hawala, for funding “separatist and terrorist” activities in Jammu and Kashmir. “Through the funds so collected, they as such have entered into a larger criminal conspiracy for causing disruption in the Kashmir valley by way of pelting stones on the forces, systematically burning of schools, damage to public property and waging war against India,” reads the case’s summary of allegation.

The NIA arrested Geelani’s son-in-law Altaf Ahmed Shah, popularly known as Altaf Fantoosh, and six others leaders and activists including Ayaz Akbar Khandey, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Peer Saifullah, Aftab Hilali Shah alias Shahid-ul-Islam, Nayeem Khan and Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate on July 24.

“In pursuance of the FIR, the NIA had conducted widespread searches on the suspected persons in Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Haryana and incriminating documents, electronic devices, cash and other valuables worth crores were unearthed during those searches,” the NIA had said in a statement issued on July 24.

The NIA has also arrested Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali for alleged involvement in the case.