Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 16: The National Investigating Agency (NIA) today conducted searches at a dozen locations in Kashmir, including the houses of a prominent Kashmiri businessman, his relatives and a lawyer in terror funding case.
The NIA searched the premises belonging to the family, relatives and aides of Zahoor Watali who is an influential Kashmiri businessman having links with the separatist and main stream political parties.
He is highly influential and has close links with prominent politicians of Pakistan including relatives of former Pakistan Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif.
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Former Pakistan-occupied Kashmir Prime Minister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhary and Nawaz Sharif’s relatives attended the marriage ceremony of Watali’s son at Baagaat Srinagar few years back. His business is spread in Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Dubai.
Watali, who has been under the NIA scanner was called for repeated questioning in Delhi headquarters of NIA, was questioned afresh today and raids were conducted at his premises today.
The premises searched included that of Watali’s three close associates and his two brothers-in-law in Handwara town of North Kashmir Kupwara district.
The NIA also searched Watali’s driver Mohammed Akbar’s house at Aloocha Bagh and the residence of Ghulam Mohammad Bhat in Tangmarg area of Baramulla district. Bhat is an employee of a plywood factory run by Peerzada Ghulam Nabi – a trader who is also under the scanner for receiving money from Pakistan and using it to stoke trouble in Kashmir under the guise of business.
They also raided house of Dr Qaiser who is brother in law of Zahoor Watali. House of Abdul Rahim Wani, a lawyer in Munsif Court Magam and a relative of Watali was also raided.
NIA also raided the house of Ghulam Mohammad Rather son of Abdul Khaliq Rather of Macchipora Handwara. He is driver of Watali and his son Firdous Ahmad is pursuing MBBS in Pakistan.
House of lawyer Mohammad Shafi Reshi, one of the closest aides of Geelani, was also searched. “The house belonging to Shafi Reshi and a lot of incriminating material, suspect financial records and property-related documents and electronic devices including mobile phones, pen drives and hard drives have been seized during the searches.
They have also recovered documents relating to receipt of money from suspect foreign sources and distribution of money so received to certain persons in Valley.
NIA first conducted raids in Kashmir, Delhi and Haryana in June in its search for evidences of separatist leaders and businessmen receiving funds from Hafiz Saeed, who heads Lashkar front Jamaat-ud-Dawa charity and other Pakistan-based militant outfits.
The NIA has also questioned hardline Geelani’s two sons-Nayeem and Naseem, who are expected to be called again to Delhi for further questioning.
The agency questioned Faheem Ali, a Deputy Superintendent of Police who was Personal Security Officer of moderate Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Devender Singh Behl, a lawyer associated with Geelani.
Geelani’s son-in-law Altaf Shah is among those arrested. Other arrested are Nayeem Khan, Ayaz Akbar Khanday, Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Peer Saifullah (all from Geelani’s faction of Hurriyat), Shahid-ul-Islam (of the Hurriyat faction led by the Mirwaiz) and Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karatay of a faction of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front.
Prominent separatist Shabir Shah, already arrested by Enforcement Directorate in a separate but similar case, is also likely to be questioned by NIA.
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