Terror funding case: NIA court to hear arguments against Yasin Malik, others on March 13

NIA special court will hear arguments on charge/ scrutiny of documents against Kashmiri Separatist leader Yasin Malik, Masrat Alam, Asiya Andrabi, Shabbir Shah, Rashid Engineer on March 13 in connection with a terror funding case.

Malik and Asiya Andrabi were produced from judicial custody physically before NIA special Judge Praveen Singh while others were produced through video conferencing.

Masrat Alam is currently lodged in Delhi's Mandoli Jail and rest four other accused are lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail.

The Court has taken cognizance of the NIA charge-sheet filed against five persons including Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik in a terror funding case for allegedly raising funds through Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

"The NIA in its charge sheet had established the role of Pakistan High Commission in supporting the separatists and creating unrest in the Kashmir Valley through the transfer of funds," an official release said.

"Besides Malik, those who have been named in the charge sheet are founder and president of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) Shabir Ahmed Shah, chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Muslim League Party Masarat Alam, founder and self-styled chief of Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) Syeda Aasiya Andrabi and Zahoor Ahmad Watali," it read.

The NIA alleged that the five accused allegedly carried out "criminal conspiracy and waged war against the government by carrying out terrorist and secessionist activities" in the region.

"It has also been found that Yasin Malik has been getting funds from foreign countries through hawala channels for causing unrest and insurgency in Kashmir," the charge sheet stated.

"It was the part of a well-planned criminal conspiracy hatched with the active support, connivance, and funding from Pakist agencies and terrorist orgzations to achieve their nefarious objective of securing secession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir from India," the agency revealed.

NIA has used their e-mails as well as videos, TV interviews, public speeches, etc., obtained from open source as evidence."In one of his speeches Yasin Malik is claiming that he had visited the Lashkar-e-Taiba camp in Muree, Pakistan occupied Kashmir and addressed LeT cadres," NIA said.

The investigation by the agency also revealed that the five accused had hatched a conspiracy to "cripple the administrative machinery and create disaffection towards the administration."

"These separatists are working in a systematic and orgsed manner on the instructions of their Pakist handlers and have set up a network of their cadres at the village, block and district level," stated the charge sheet.

( With inputs from ANI )