Jailed rights activist Khurram Parvez arrested in NGO terror funding case: NIA

SRINAGAR — National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested incarcerated rights activist Khurram Parvez, in NGO terror funding case, the agency said on Wednesday.

It is the second arrest in the case in the last three days. NIA had arrested a Kashmiri freelance journalist and a researcher, Irfan Mehraj in the case on Monday.

Khurram, the Kashmir-based rights activist, was arrested first by NIA in November 2021 and was charge-sheeted last year in the case related to funding and recruitment of overground workers (OGWs) by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Jammu and Kashmir.

NIA today said Khurram, the program coordinator of Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Societies (JKCCS) and Chairperson of Philippines-based NGO Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), was formally arrested upon production in this case.

“Investigations revealed that Khurram Parvez has been collecting funds under the garb of fighting for Human Rights, from various international entities/persons based abroad and channelizing those funds for funding terror activities in the Kashmir valley. He, alongwith his associates, were also propagating secessionist agenda through his various NGOs,” an NIA spokesperson said.

The case in which Khurram was arrested today relates to the terror funding of proscribed terrorist organizations, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, by certain NGOs, Trusts and Societies based in the Valley, the NIA said.

Earlier this year, Khurram was named one of the three recipients of the 2023 Martin Ennals Award.