NIA summons Kashmir’s independent legislator Engineer Rasheed in terror funding probe

New Delhi, September 28: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) continues its hardcore investigation in a bid to curb terror funding and subversive activities in Jammu and Kashmir have summoned independent legislator and Awami Ittehad Party chairman Engineer Rasheed in terror funding case to appear before it on October 3 at its headquarters in New Delhi.

 

The central probe agency on Thursday morning summoned Engineer Rasheed Rasheed in terror funding case. However, the NIA had registered a case on May 30 to probe alleged cross-border funding to sponsor unrest in Kashmir.

The NIA’s action comes after arresting 10 others in connection with terror funding probe including Altaf Ahmed Shah, the son-in-law of Syed Ali Geelani, and prominent businessman Zahoor Watali. Others arrested are Shahid-ul-Islam, spokesperson of the Hurriyat (M), Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Nayeem Khan, Farooq Ahmed Dar alias 'Bitta Karate', photo-journalist Kamran Yusuf and Javed Ahmed Bhat.

NIA has also conducted many raids in past several months. The case came into the limelight after a sting operation surfaced in which he purportedly confessed by Nayeem Khan to receiving funds from Pakistan to create unrest in the Kashmir Valley. After this, Geelani suspended Khan from the basic membership of Hurriyat conference in May.

Hafeez Saeed, a Pakistan-based chief of the Jamaat-ud Dawa, the front of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, has been named in the FIR as an accused, in addition to organizations such as the Hurriyat Conference, Hizbul Mujaheedin and Dukhtaran-e-Milat. The NIA in the same context had also searched the premises of others like Shahid-ul-Islam, an aide of Farooq's, who heads the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference. The NIA had recovered some account books, Rs 2 crore in cash and letterheads of banned terror groups, including the LeT and the Hizbul Mujahideen, during its searches.

In 2002, the Income Tax department had raided the establishments of some separatist leaders, including Geelani, and seized cash and documents. Interestingly, this the first time since the rise of militancy in Kashmir in the early 1990s, NIA had carried out raids in connection with the funding of separatists.