J&K: More NGOs come under scanner as NIA gets cracking on terror funding

New Delhi, Mar 28: The National Investigation Agency on Sunday conducted a search at Sonwar Bagh in Srinagar in connection with the NGO terror funding case.

The NIA said that the case pertains to the transfer of funds by certain NGOs, Trusts, Societies and Organisations on behalf of separatist and terror organisations. The movie was to sustain secessionist and terror activities in Kashmir, the NIA also said. During the search at the premises of the suspect, the NIA recovered documents relating to financial transactions.

The developments comes a week after an NIA court ordered framing of charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against Lashkar-e-Tayiba chief, Hafiz Saeed, Kashmir separatist leaders including Yasin Malik, Shabbir Shah, Masarat Alam and Hizbul Mujahideen head, Syed Salahuddin in connection with a terror funding case.

The NIA judge, Praveen Singh said that the above analysis reflects that the statements of witnesses and documentary evidence have connected almost all the accused with each other and to a common object of secession, to the commonality of means they were to use, their close association to terrorist/terrorist organisations under the guiding hand and funding of Pakistani establishment.

While all the above mentioned persons have played a huge role in furthering terror in Jammu and Kashmir, one of the most notorious among them is Yasin Malik. The several documents on Malik seen by OneIndia suggest that the cases against him are not ordinary in nature. They range from acts of terror, causing unrest and also murder of Indian Air Force officials.

Malik's name also cropped in terror funding cases since 1995. In 2019, the Centre had banned his outfit, the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). Malik is also facing cases relating to the kidnapping of Rubaiya Saeed, daughter of then Union home minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, in 1989, and the killing of four IAF personnel in 1990.

An official tells OneIndia that some of the key findings in the probe on terror funding have been the route and source of the funds. Further it was also found that several separatists had routed funds for their personal use as well. It was also learnt that businessman Zahoor Ahamad Shah Watali is one of the main hawala conduit who used to generate and receive funds from Pakistan, ISI, UAE and had floated various shell companies to disguise foreign remittances for further transfer to separatist leaders and stone pelters in the valley. These funds were used to fuel unrest in the Kashmir valley and organise violent agitations and anti-India activities which resulted in large scale violence leading to numerous injuries and deaths of civilians and security forces.

During his interrogation Malik told the NIA that Hurriyat Conference Gilani Group collected funds from business community as well as certain other sources and ensured that economic shut down and violent protests continue to disrupt the daily life of common citizens in the valley.
Asiya Andrabi admitted that she had been collecting funds and donations from foreign sources and

Duktaran-e-Milat had been organising protests by muslim women in the valley. Asiya Andrabi was confronted with evidence regarding funding of educational expenses of her son in Malaysia from 2011 onwards through foreign remittances made by Zahoor Watali.

Masarat Alam, the so called poster boy of stone pelters and violent agitations in Kashmir valley, during his custodial interrogation, revealed that Pakistan based agents route the funds through hawala operators which were transferred to the separatist leaders including Syed Shah Gilani Chairman APHC(G).