Using govt jobs as covers how Hizbul chief’s sons facilitated funds from Saudi to further terror in J&K

New Delhi, July 14: Hizbul Mujahideen chief, Syed Salahuddin's sons Syed Ahmad Shakeel and Shahid Yusuf were recently terminated by the Jammu and Kashmir government. Shakeel was working at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute fo Medical Sciences, while Shahid is a former employee at the Jammu and Kashmir Agriculture department.

The National Investigation Agency had found that the duo were facilitating funds from Saudi Arabia for terror funding in Kashmir. Shakeel was arrested by the NIA in 2018 and the action was reared to a terror funding case which was registered in 2011 in which 7 persons had been chargesheeted.

The case pertains to transfer of funds through Hawala Channels by the terrorists based in Pakistan to Jammu & Kashmir, in a criminal conspiracy hatched with some operatives in India, to fuel and fund the secessionist and terrorist activities in J&K. In this case, Ghulam Mohammed Bhat alias Abdul Rehman and 3 others were chargesheeted in the year 2011.

In October, 2017 accused Syed Shahid Yusuf, another son of accused Syed Salahuddin was arrested by NIA as he had received funds from the Hizbul Mujahideen from abroad and was chargesheeted in 2018.

In this case, so far, three accused persons Mohd. Sidiq Ganai, Ghulam Jeelani Liloo and Farooq Ahmed Dagga have been convicted after they pleaded guilty. During investigation, involvement of Syed Ahmad Shakeel resident of Rambagh, Srinagar had also surfaced in raising, receiving, collecting funds from terrorist organisation through its active cadres from Saudi Arabia. He had received money through Western Union several times which were sent by absconding chargesheeted accused Aijaz Ahmad Bhat.

Accused Syed Ahmad Shakeel, aged 48 years is the elder son of Syed Salahuddin, self-styled commander of Hizbul Mujahideen and he has been working as lab assistant in Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS). Investigation revealed that he had also received funds from various countries from the operatives of Hizbul Mujahideen.

Accused was summoned by NIA for questioning but he did not appear. A non-bailable warrant (NBW) was earlier got issued by NIA from the NIA Special Court, Patiala House, New Delhi.