Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 27: With National Investigating Agency (NIA) getting vital clues in hawala connections of separatists and other persons involved in pumping funds in the Kashmir valley to fuel militancy and unrest, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also joined the investigations with trails of money leading to across the border.
Sources told the Excelsior that the Enforcement Directorate has also started investigating the pumping of hawala money in Kashmir valley especially to the separatists and some Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant outfits, which had been routed through New Delhi based agents and some other destinations from Pakistan.
“Investigations by both NIA and Enforcement Directorate will run parallel,” they said, adding the probe was necessitated after very “authentic” and “credible” inputs have surfaced about pumping of hawala money in the Kashmir valley aimed at fuelling militancy and protests.
Noting that some vital clues have been gathered during ongoing investigations by the NIA especially during search of documents, bank accounts and related statements of certain separatists and Over Ground Workers, sources said the statements were being corroborated before reaching to a final conclusion and laying hands on the accused.
Sources said the week-long investigations by NIA were at “crucial stage’’ with vital clues received during checking of bank accounts and questioning of some of the suspects. However, the investigators were reportedly taking all precautions as they want the high-profile case to be taken to logical conclusion.
Four separatists, who have been named in the Preliminary Enquiry (PE) lodged by the NIA, included hardliner Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Naeem Khan, Gazi Javed Baba and Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate.
However, according to sources, the NIA and Enforcement Directorate haven’t confined their investigations only to the NIA but were looking beyond including more suspects based in the Union capital and even abroad.
Before registration of a First Information Report (FIR), the NIA had to conduct the PE and prima facie establish that the case was fit for further investigations and registration of the FIR. Sources pointed out that there was enough evidence with the NIA to lodge formal FIR in the case.
The separatists were reported to have received funds from various hawala channels including Pakistan-backed dreaded militant outfit like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) with a view to feed the people for triggering unrest in the Valley in the form of protests and arson, sources said.
According to sources, certain lobbyists, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), social organizations and related groups and individuals had been used to pay the funds to the separatist leaders at the behest of Pakistan-based militant outfits including the LeT, which has been in the forefront for fomenting trouble in Kashmir with subversive activities.
Sources said there had been reports with the Centre Government as well as the investigating agencies that hawala funds had been used for causing unrest in Kashmir, burning Government infrastructure including educational institutions, pelting stones and feeding some other kind of “undesirable activities” within the Kashmir valley.
As per the Preliminary Enquiry registered by the NIA, Lashkar-e-Toiba patron Hafiz Saeed, who is presently under house arrest in Pakistan, was one of the sources for hawala funds apart from other unknown sources in Pakistan.
It has reportedly been mentioned in the Preliminary Enquiry that Pakistan was used for sending hawala money to hawala operators, who were functioning from Chandni Chowk and Ballimaran areas of Old Delhi. From these two localities, the hawala money was taken to the Kashmir Valley by certain persons working for spreading unrest in the Kashmir valley, sources pointed out.
Reports said the hawala payments had been made to fund those involved in anti-India activities through a known ISI conduit named Mehboob Ahmed Sagar.
Sagar was paid by ISI on a monthly basis and he, in turn, funneled the cash to a separatist leader.
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