NIA files supplementary charge sheet in J&K terror funding case

New Delhi: NIA filed a charge sheet in the terror funding case against Kashmiri separatists including JKLF chief Yaseen Malik, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Asiya Andrabi, Masarat Alam and former MLA engineer, Rashid for criminal conspiracy and waging war against Government of India by carrying out terrorist and secessionist activities.

The 300-page supplementary charge sheet has been filed under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

In 2017 NIA had registered a case and filed the first charge sheet against 12 persons including Hafiz Mohd. Saeed, Chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Syed Salahuddin, chief of Hizbul Mujahideen.

The charge sheet stated that the five accused are part of the conspiracy related to secessionist and terrorist activities in the State of Jammu & Kashmir.

Searches were conducted at nine locations in Jammu & Kashmir. 400 electronic devices along with 85 incriminating documents were seized.

According to the charge sheet, the accused hatched the conspiracy by collaborating to form various protest calendars and action plans to launch violent agitation, ‘hartals’, systematic ‘bandhs’ and large scale economic shut-downs to cripple the administrative machinery and to create disaffection towards the administration.

Investigations further revealed that the Hurriyat leaders, terrorists and the stone-pelters are carrying out terrorist attacks and orchestrating violence, stone-pelting and other subversive and secessionist activities in Jammu & Kashmir. This was done as part of a well-planned criminal conspiracy hatched with the active support, connivance and funding from Pakistani agencies and terrorist organizations to achieve their nefarious objective of securing a secession of the State of Jammu & Kashmir from India.

The investigation states that there was a nexus between the already charge-sheeted accused and the five accused, following the recovery of SMSs, chats, emails, WhatsApp messages and videos.

The charge sheet further stated that various incriminating chats and emails recovered were from the email accounts of Yasin Malik and Shabir Shah, indicating the reception of funds from Pakistan and various other countries. It was also found that Yasin Malik had received funds from foreign countries through hawala channels for causing unrest and insurgency in Kashmir.

The charge sheet says that the Pakistan High Commission played a role in supporting the separatist and other networks through the transfer of funds via financial conduits and in providing directions to continue the unrest in the Kashmir valley.

Engineer Rashid, Ex-MLA, also played a role in the conspiracy to destabilize Kashmir and cause unrest.