Terror funding: 3 Geelani aides held, flown to Delhi

Separatists term arrests in Valley political vendetta ■

The J&K police detained three second-rung leaders of Syed Ali Shah Geelaniled Hurriyat Conference faction on the direction of the National Investigative Agency (NIA).

They are Altaf Ahmed Shah, alias “Fantosh”, who also the son-in-law of the octogenarian separatist leader, Ayaz Akbar and Raja Merajuddin Kalwal, the police sources said. The sources added that they are being flown to Delhi to be handed over to the NIA for interrogation.

The NIA had recently conducted raids at 23 places in Srinagar, Delhi

◗ The separatists have strongly denied receiving any foreign funding. They accused the Centre and its agencies, particularly NIA, of ‘harassing and scaring’ the Hurriyat Conference activists which is ‘highly deplorable’.

and Haryana in connection with alleged hawala operations between Pakistan-based terror groups and Kashmiri separatists. Those whose houses and offices were searched besides these three included Naeem Ahmed Khan, Farooq Ahmed Dar, alias “Bita Karate”, Gazi Javed Baba, Zaffar Akbar Butt, alias Saif-ul-Islam, and Shahidul-Islam and business tycoon Zahoor Ahmed Watali. Later some of these leaders and activists were called to Delhi by the NIA for further questioning. They have also been accused of funding the unrest in the Valley.

The separatists have strongly denied receiving any foreign funding and alleged that the Indian government is making false claims in order to defame the Kashmiri “freedom struggle”. The alliance of key separatist leaders Syed Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik in a joint statement issued here termed “fresh wave” of arrests across the Valley as part of political vendetta and revenge against them. “Delhi is leaving no stone unturned and uses military might and arm twisting methods to crush every voice being raised in the support of Kashmiri people’s sentiment and aspirations,” they alleged.

They accused the government and official agencies, particularly NIA, of “harassing and scaring” the Hurriyat Conference activists which is “highly deplorable”.