NIA raids residences of Hurriyat leaders, businessman in Kashmir

Srinagar: Days after the three pro-freedom leaders returned valley after being questioned by National Investigation Agency in New Delhi, the investigating agency Saturday raided residences of several Hurriyat leaders and a businessman in Srinagar against the alleged funding by Pakistan for creating unrest in the valley last year.

NIA team today swooped on the residences of several pro-freedom leaders and a businessman and claimed seizure of cash and other “incriminating material” during the raids.

Sources said that the NIA team raided the residences of a few pro-freedom leaders belonging to both factions of the Hurriyat Conference and the JKLF.

The NIA officials said that during the raids at several places, its team so far seized cash amount of over Rs 1.15 crore, besides property related documents, letterheads of banned militant organizations such as LeT and HM, pen-drives, laptops, and other incriminating documents at 22 locations in Kashmir, Delhi and Haryana.

“Fresh locations revealed during the questioning of the inmates will also be searched,” the officials said.

Pertinently, the three separatists including Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir National Front (JKNF), Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karrate and Javed Ahmed Baba alias ‘Gazi’ of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat led by Syed Ali Geelani, were questioned by NIA sleuths in New Delhi for three days for their role in 2016 unrest and alleged funding from Pakistan for creating unrest in Kashmir.

NIA had questioned Khan at his Jawahar Nagar office. Khan and other two are a part of the inquiry initiated after NIA took cognizance of a news channel report about alleged funding for 2016 unrest by Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today issued a notice to senior Hurriyat leader and Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) chairman, Shabir Ahmad Shah, under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) act for ‘receiving illegal foreign exchange’.

Last month, the ED had issued notices to Shah who had more time to appear before them citing him being under house arrest by police. (KNS)