NIA cracks down on terror funding in Kashmir valley, conducts raids in Delhi, Srinagar

Among those raided were close aides and kins of hardline separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani and others in the Hurriyat Conference The separatists were allegedly receiving funds from Hafiz Saeed, to carry out subversive activities

National Investigation Agency on Saturday carried out raids at 14 places in Kashmir and eight places in Delhi over investigation into terror funding in the Valley.

Early on Saturday, the raids by the National Investigation began. According to news reports, the agency has registered an FIR Syed Ali Shah Geelani, and Lashkar founder Hafiz Saeed over funds routed to fund terror and violence in the Valley. Geelani, one of the most senior separatist figures, will be summoned for questioning.

Recently, the agency questioned Tehreek-e-Hurriyat leader Ghazi Javed Baba, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Farooq Ahmed Dar aka Bitta Karate and suspended Hurriyat leader Nayeem Khan for over eight hours. Following Khan’s interrogation and his purported confessing to receiving money from Pakistan-based terror groups (via a sting operation).

The separatists were allegedly receiving funds from the chief of Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT), Hafiz Saeed, to carry out subversive activities in the Kashmir Valley, including pelting stones at security forces, damaging public property and burning schools and other government establishments.

Around eight hawala dealers and traders in the national capital were also raided, official sources said.