NIA launches crackdown 2.0 against top separatists in Kashmir

On a day IAF struck on Jaish terror camps in Pakistan, National Investigation Agency (NIA) launched a massive crackdown against separatists and raided seven locations, including the residences of Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and JKLF chairman Mohommad Yasin Malik, in Srinagar in the terror funding case.

Apart from Mirwaiz and Malik, those raided included houses of Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Zafar Akbar Bhat, Naseem Geelani, Masrat Alam and Shabir Ahmed Shah.

Shah is already lodged in Tihar jail on money laundering charges while Alam is in prison since 2010. Malik was taken into custody some days ago and lodged in Kothi Bagh police station.

Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani's son Naseem Geelani and his close aide and chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Mohommad Ashraf Sehrai were also raided.

Zafar, a former top Hizbul Mujahideen commander, who now heads the separatist outfit Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement (JKSM), was the architect of the ceasefire by Hizbul Mujahideen in July 2000. Zaffar, along with three other commanders, held talks with the then union home secretary Kamal Panday in Srinagar for the settlement of Kashmir tangle.

"During the searches, NIA teams recovered incriminating documents including property papers, financial transactions receipts and bank account details. Electronic devices including laptops, e-tablets, mobile phones, pen drives, communication system and DVRs were also seized during the searches. Significantly, letterheads of different terrorist organisations, as well as documents relating to recommendations for a visa for admission in Pakistan Educational Institutions, were found. A high tech internet communication set up was also recovered from the residence of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq", said NIA in a statement.

Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) of separatists has called for two-day protest strike against NIA raids, wide spreads arrests and attempts to tinker with State subject Law under the pretext of 35 A.

JRL is a conglomerate of Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Moderate Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, who spearheaded the 2016 unrest in Kashmir

"Widespread raids of NIA against almost whole resistance leadership, extensive spree of arrests in nooks and corners of Kashmir valley during which thousands have been put behind bars and threats to tinker with state subject law (35a) are all acts aimed at suppressing our voices of Kashmiris," said the separatist trio.