Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Monday appeared before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for questioning in connection with a terror funding case in the wake of the centre clearly stating that it will adopt a zero tolerance policy for all separatists after the Pulwama terror attack.
The Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq arrived early on Monday morning in the capital. The NIA had earlier served two notices to him asking for his appearance before it and he had expressed concerns about his security. This was the third notice that he received from the investigating agency.
“Despite repeated attempts to hold the questioning in Srinagar, the NIA refused to conduct it in Srinagar and has said that it would take care of the security concerns expressed by the Mirwaiz. “It is unfortunate that they are insisting on the investigation in Delhi. It has been decided in the Hurriyat executive meeting held today (Sunday) that the executive members will accompany Mirwaiz to New Delhi,” the spokesman said.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is likely to be questioned about a letter seized during the raids in February, which stated that Rs 5,000 was paid to a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative. An aide of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Shahid Ul Islam, was arrested by the probe agency in 2017. He had had allegedly given the money to the LeT operative on Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s orders.
—India Legal Bureau
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