New Delhi: Continuing the crackdown on terror financers, security agencies have identified 13 people, including Hizbul Mujahideen founder Syed Salahuddin, Hurriyat leaders and businessmen, who are allegedly providing funds to terrorists and stone pelters at the behest of Pakistan spy agency ISI, officials said Sunday.
The Centre has started seizing properties belonging to terror financiers in a big way. Thirteen individuals and their properties have been identified by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and action has been initiated, they said.
“Individuals identified during these investigations have been found providing money to all major terrorist groups like LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) as also Hurriyat leaders, separatists and stone-pelters in Jammu and Kashmir,” a senior government official said.
Operational activities of terror groups, including attacks on security forces, camps and convoys, are also being financed, the official said. They added that money obtained through these channels is being used by major secessionist formations, especially the Hurriyat Conference. Funds are also used to run a massive propaganda machinery to arouse disaffection among the people of Jammu and Kashmir against the Centre. It is also being utilised to spread false information through media contacts, newspapers and social media, the official claimed.
The official said these are in turn used to instigate and lure misguided youths to resort to anti-India activities, violent street protests and stone pelting on security forces at encounter sites.
In the first strike, action was initiated to attach a plush bungalow of Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali in Gurgaon, the official said. He is, at present, lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail. Watali is allegedly a major conduit for funnelling terror finances into India according to ED officials. Besides him, another 10 leaders were brought into the multi-agency action on terror funding.
The ongoing investigation in the first phase has determined and quantified assets valued at over rupees seven crore as proceeds of terror funding crimes.
The 13 identified individuals include Mohd Yusuf Shah alias Syed Salahuddin, who through Hizbul, has been actively involved in creating unrest in Kashmir and other parts of India, according to a document prepared by security agencies.
The document said Aftab Ahmad Shah alias Fantoosh, a Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH) founder member, was spokesperson and legal advisor to the Hurriyat (Mirwaiz faction). During a search at his residence in Srinagar, NIA seized various incriminating documents and during interrogation, Shah confessed has that his charter of duties included monitoring incidents, issuing statements, arranging meetings and conferences. Shah, son-in-law of separatist leader Syed Geelani, was closely associated with JeI (J-K).
Amaong the 13 are also individuals like Mohammed Nayeem Khan, Farooq Ahmad Dar, Akbar Khanday, Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Saifullah and Nawal Kishore Kapoor
Khan, self-styled chairman of National Front, an organisation affiliated to Hurriyat, was part of the Muslim Jaanbaaz Force and earlier involved in various militant activities, the document said.
Dar was JKLF-R chairman and is a terrorist involved in criminal and anti-national activities since 1990. He received arms training in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in 1989-90.Khanday is a JeI(J-K) member and trusted lieutenant of Geelani. He knew of anti-India protests in the Valley.
PTI