Yasin Malik arrest: Separatists call for strike against first phase of polling

New Delhi, Apr 10: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday arrested JKLF chief Yasin Malik in connection with a case related to the terror funding case.

Malik was brought to the national capital on Tuesday evening after a special NIA court in Jammu gave the go ahead for his custodial interrogation by the probe agency, they said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief, who was shifted to Tihar jail under police protection, was taken into preventive custody in February by the J&K police and shifted to Jammu's Kot Balwal jail.

Malik, whose organisation JKLF was banned last month by the Centre, is also facing two CBI cases.

Following the development, separatists have called for a strike on Thursday to protest against the polling for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Kashmir and the "NIA aggression" against Hurriyat Conference leaders and their kin.

"The complete shutdown (Hartal) is against the so-called Indian parliamentary elections that are going to start from tomorrow from Baramulla parliamentary constituency, against NIA aggression including shifting of JKLF chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik, rigourous questioning of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and repeated summoning of sons of Syed Ali Shah Geelani to Delhi," the separatists said in a statement on Wednesday.

Jammu and Baramulla Lok Sabha constituencies are going to polls in the first phase on Thursday.