NIA attaches property of Hizb militant in Sopore

SRINAGAR — National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday attached the property of a Hizbul Mujahideen commander (based in Pakistan) Basit Reshi in Sopore area of north Kashmir, officials said here.

Basit, affiliated with Pak based militant organization – Hizbul Mujahideen and a resident of Hardshiva in Sopore was declared a designated “Terrorist” under the UAPA (a stringent act legislated to control militant activities) by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recently. The NIA stated that Basit is currently working for The Resistance Front (TRF).

An official told the news agency KNO that the immovable property (agriculture land) around nine marlas falling under the Khasra No. 1962, 1945 at Edipora in Zaingeer Tehsil was attached by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which was accompanied by the Jammu and Kashmir Police by the order of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, dated 13-02-2023.

Basit, who as per the officials is currently in Pakistan, was involved in subversive activities and coordinating target killings in Jammu and Kashmir. “Basit had planned and executed an attack on a police guard post at Tujar Sharief on August 18, 2015, in which police personnel and a civilian were killed,” they said.

Reshi is presently involved in the terror activities of TRF. He manages and supplies arms/ammunition as well as funds for TRF from across the border, they added.

“Basit was 14 years old, a Class 9th student when he left his home and since then, they have had no input from him. Even in the year 2017, the rumors of Basit being killed by some unknown gunmen were also doing rounds, but God knows better where he is,” said Reshi’s family.

It is pertinent to mention that this is the second such action by the NIA teams. Earlier on Thursday, it attached the property of Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar alias ‘Latram’ – founder and chief commander of Al-Umar Mujahideen in Nowhatta area of Srinagar.

Meanwhile, in a handout, NIA said that continuing the strong action against ‘terrorists’ operating from Pakistan soil, the NIA has attached the property of Basit Ahmad Reshi son of Mohd Ramzan Reshi, located in district Baramulla. This action closely follows the attachment of the Srinagar-based property of Mushtaq Zargar alias Latram, the founder and Chief Commander of Al-Umar Mujahideen yesterday.

Basit Ahmad Reshi is a ‘listed terrorist’ under the UA(P) Act and has been operating from Pakistan after his exfiltration to Pakistan. He has been found funding ‘terror activities’ and acts in the valley, it reads.

Basit Ahmad Reshi joined the militant ranks in 2015 and was involved in the planning and execution of a ‘terror attack’ at Police Guard Post in Sopore that killed one Constable and injured others. Basit was earlier associated with the banned ‘terrorist’ outfit Hizbul-Mujahideen and later exfiltrated to Pakistan.

Basit Ahmad Reshi is presently involved in ‘terror activities’ of The Resistance Front’ (TRF) and manages and supplies arms/ammunition as well as funds for TRF from across the border.

Reshi’s agricultural land measuring 9.25 marlas has been attached under the provisions of UA(P) Act. Representatives of the State government and State Police assisted the NIA in the attachment process.

To date, NIA has attached the properties of five designated ‘terrorists’, namely US-based Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Canada-based Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and Pakistan-based terrorists – Mushtaq Zargar alias Latram, Basit Ahmad Pir and KCF (Panjwar) Paramjit Singh alias Panjwar.

In addition, NIA recently attached, under UAPA, the Hurriyat Office in Srinagar, which was owned in part by Nayeem Khan, an accused charge-sheeted by the NIA in the Hurriyat funding case.