‘Issues can’t be dealt with force’
Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 31: The Enforcement Directorate today questioned National Conference president and former Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, for over three hours in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged financial irregularities in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association.
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Dr Abdullah who is also MP from Srinagar reached the ED office at Rajbagh this morning.
“I won’t say much (about the summons) … there are elections to be held and they will trouble us till then,” he said.
On May 27, the ED had summoned Dr Abdullah to its Srinagar office in connection with the case.
Farooq was JKCA president from 2001 to 2012 and the scam being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED is about alleged financial misappropriation between 2004 and 2009.
The ED has attached properties worth over Rs 21 crore already including Rs 11.86 crore immovable assets of Abdullah.
The ED probe so far has revealed that Ahsan Mirza in connivance with other office bearers of the JKCA, had misappropriated JKCA funds to the tune of Rs 51.90 crore and utilised proceeds of crime for settling his personal and business liabilities.
It initiated the money laundering probe against the JKCA office bearers on the basis of a case registered at the Ram Munshi Bagh Police Station in Srinagar. The case was later transferred to the CBI on the high court’s directions.
The CBI has filed a charge sheet in the case against the former JKCA office bearers for misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 43.69 crore.
After coming out of the ED office in the afternoon, Abdullah pitched for the All Party meeting to discuss ways and means to put an end to the civilian killings in Kashmir and said that such issues cannot be dealt by security forces and police.
Speaking to reporters, he said that the killing of a teacher in Kulgam district today has put a question mark over the claims of peace and safety of people by the Government. “Making statements with regard to peace in Kashmir won’t change the reality. The policemen, Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims are being killed, but the Government is still reluctant to accept the fact and are claiming high and tall that the peace has been achieved,” he said.
“Everyone wants safety and security. There is a need to find means and ways to curb the killings in Kashmir. The Government should call an All Party Meeting, talk to the leaders to bring a solution to the prevailing situation. The situation can’t be dealt with by security forces and police,” he said, adding that there is a need to win the hearts so that the people will come out from the present nuisance.
“If tomorrow the political leaders are killed, where is security for them?”, he asked.
Abdullah said that if any untoward incident takes place with the Amarnath pilgrims, the whole country will have to bear the consequences, thus, the Government needs to stay very alert in this regard.
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