Masarat Alam said Hurriyat leaders got funding from Pakistan: NIA
The Indian Express,
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday claimed that Kashmir separatist leader Masarat Alam, who was arrested last month in a case of terror funding, has confessed that Hurriyat leaders received funds from Pakistan to foment trouble in the Valley. According to the agency, former chief of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was among those Alam named.
“Masarat Alam, the so-called poster boy of stone pelters and violent agitations in Kashmir Valley, during his custodial interrogation, revealed that Pakistan-based agents route funds through hawala operators, which were transferred to separatist leaders, including Syed Shah Geelani, Chairman APHC(G),” an NIA statement said.
“Alam also revealed that there are rifts in the Hurriyat conference regarding collection and use of funds,” the NIA statement said.
The central investigating agency is already probing Geelani in connection with a terror funding case involving Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) co-founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin. It has questioned Geelani’s sons on multiple occasions but never arrested or chargesheeted any of them so far.
In an FIR filed on May 30, 2017, the NIA had alleged that Kashmiri separatists were receiving funds from Pakistan, including from Saeed and Salahuddin, to foment trouble in the Valley. So far, 13 people have been chargesheeted by the agency.
It recently arrested Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik and separatist leader Shabbir Shah in connection with the case. Last year, it arrested Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi in connection with the same case.
According to the NIA, Yasin Malik revealed during interrogation that he was instrumental in bringing together disparate factions of the Hurriyat Conference and also that he formed the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) which spearheaded violent agitations across the Valley in 2016 by issuing “Protest Calendars”.
“Yasin Malik admitted that the JRL and Hurriyat Conference Geelani Group collected funds from the business community and several other sources and ensured that an economic shutdown and violent protests continued to disrupt the daily life of common citizens in the Valley,” the agency’s statement said. The agency has also said that Andrabi admitted during questioning that she had been collecting funds and donations from foreign sources and that Dukhtaran-e-Millat had been organising protests by Muslim women in the Valley.
“Asiya Andrabi was confronted with evidence regarding funding of educational expenses of her son in Malaysia from 2011 onwards through foreign remittances made by Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali (one of the arrested accused in the case). NIA has already approached the concerned authorities for providing evidence relating to certain bank accounts used by Mohammad bin Qasim (son of Asiya Andrabi) while he was studying in the University,” the agency had said.
The agency has said that Shabir Shah was confronted with evidence relating to transfer of money by Pakistan-based agents and representatives of APHC factions to parties affiliated to Hurriyat in J&K.
“He was also confronted about his investments in various hotels and businesses in Pahalgam, properties in Jammu, Srinagar and Anantnag. Evidence regarding many of his benami properties is being collected. He was confronted with some of his personal staff and associates who have provided vital information regarding the sources of fund-raising and investment details,” the NIA statement said.
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