Did terror funds flow to Hizb, Lashkar, Hurriyat from J&K Chief Minister’s office?

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<strong>In its chargesheet filed against the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and the former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s aide Waheedur Rehman Para, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has levelled startling allegations which, if established in the trial court, would end the long chapter of the politics of soft-separatism in the Union Territory.</strong></p>
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If the NIA chargesheet is to be believed, Mehbooba’s close aide Para sent cash worth Rs 5 crore to Hurriyat (Geelani faction) through the separatist hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s son-in-law Altaf Ahmad Shah alias Fantoosh after the Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani’s killing in an encounter in July 2016 “for keeping the secessionist activities alive”.   </p>
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“Accused Waheed ur Rehman Para gave Rs 5 crore to Altaf Ahmad Shah alias Altaf Fantoosh, separatist leader… to keep the situation boiling in the Kashmir valley after the killing of HM terrorist Burhan Wani. This amount was given by accused Waheed ur Rehman Para on behalf of political party Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Hurriyat Conference for keeping the secessionist activities alive,” says the NIA chargesheet.</p>
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The chargesheet claims that Altaf Ahmed Shah was Para’s close associate and in continuous touch with him during the year-2016 street turmoil in the Kashmir valley that left around a hundred civilians dead. Being in touch with Hizbul Mujahideen and LeT, Para allegedly established and maintained liaison with the terror outfits through his distant relative and a prominent terrorist Mohammad Yousuf Lone Gadora and some others. Gadora was subsequently killed in an encounter.</p>
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According to the chargesheet, Para misused his position and the government machinery and involved himself in smuggling of AK-47 rifles and ammunition by using his official vehicle and further provided the same to active terrorist of South Kashmir. Ultimately on 25 November 2020, he was arrested for his links to Hizbul Mujahideen through the detained Deputy Superintendent of Police, Davinder Singh, and a top-wanted militant and Hizbul Mujahideen’s ‘District Commander for Shopian’, Syed Naveed Mushtaq.</p>
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“Investigation revealed that accused Waheed ur Rehman Para entered in to a criminal conspiracy along with accused Irfan Shafi Mir, Devender Singh and Syed Naveed Mushtaq for raising of funds for banned terrorist organisation HM for procurement of arms and ammunition for terrorists active in Kashmir valley to sustain the on-going terrorist activities in the Union Territory of J&K,” the chargesheet reads.</p>
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It states that Para was a part of the larger conspiracy hatched by Pakistan based leadership of banned terrorist outfit HM to make inroads into important institutions and entities for want of desired support to carry forward the agenda of secession of Jammu and Kashmir from the union of India by way of violent means i.e. terrorist activities.</p>
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Pointing towards a nexus between a mainstream politician and a terrorist, the chargesheet states that Para sought help from terror commanders for securing cooperation during the election campaign for the ruling PDP and assisting their workers in the management of election process. “These mainstream politicians are seeking this cooperation through payment of money thereby making mockery of electoral process,” the chargesheet reads in a startling revelation.</p>
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According to the NIA chargesheet, Para allegedly organised a racket of stone-pelters in his home district of Pulwama during Omar Abdullah’s National Conference-Congress government in order to gain political mileage. Thereafter he formally joined Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s PDP.</p>
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“In the year 2016, Para gave Rs 10 lakh to one Pakistani LeT militant Abu Dujana as financial support. He had provided logistic support to Dujana and another militant Naveed Jat,” it said. The LeT chief in Kashmir Abu Dujana, who was wanted in dozens of murder cases and attacks on security forces and Police, was later killed in an encounter. His successor Naveed Jat, also a Pakistani terrorist arrested by security forces in an operation, made good his escape from SMHS Hospital of Srinagar while gunning down both of his Police guards on 6 February 2018.</p>
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Naveed Jat, who killed six Police and paramilitary personnel in an encounter in Anantnag and was also suspected among assassins of the senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari in Srinagar in June 2018, was also subsequently killed in an encounter.</p>
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Para, as per the NIA chargesheet, was closely linked to the terror conduit Irfan Shafi Mir and DSP Davinder Singh who helped the Hizbul Mujahideen militants in arranging for a safe house in Jammu’s Bhatindi neighbourhood in January-February 2019. On 11 February 2020, Davinder Singh was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police along with cop-turned-terrorist Syed Naveed Mushtaq, Irfan Shafi Mir and Rafi Ahmad Rather, while he was escorting them to Jammu in a private car. One AK-47 rifle and three pistols were recovered from Singh’s terrorist associates and subsequently more arms and ammunition from his Srinagar house.</p>
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The chargesheet states that Para had several meetings at his house located at Gupkar Road Srinagar, where he provided Rs 10 lakh to Mir for further handing over to Naveed Mustaq for buying of arms and ammunition for Hizbul Mujahideen. While being posted at a warehouse of the Food Corporation of India in Budgam district, Constable Syed Naveed Mushtaq of Nazneenpora Shopian had deserted the Budgam District Police and decamped with three rifles. Later he posted his picture on Facebook, declaring that he had joined Hizbul Mujahideen.</p>
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The chargesheet also accused Para of running the “dirty business” of gun running in his official vehicle. “In the year 2016, accused Para was also involved in the dirty business of gun running from Kupwara area to South Kashmir when he used to visit Kupwara area with his escort party and bring weapons in the vehicle as none of the security agencies used to check his vehicle en route, him being an important political entity,” it claimed.</p>
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Mehbooba has tweeted her criticism to the NDA government’s fresh law for the UT of Delhi. However, she as well as her party, PDP, have neither issued a statement nor tweeted any reaction to the NIA chargesheet against Para. However, a PDP spokesman and former MLC Firdaus Tak has accused the BJP government of ‘unleashing the agencies’ to harass the party leaders who did not leave the PDP.</p>
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“Our leaders like Naeem Akhtar, Sartaj Madni are still behind bars as they did not leave the party despite being forced to do so. Para was also given the option to leave the party, when he refused to leave the party this case was filed against him”, he is reported to have told a news channel. According to him all the allegations levelled against Para were unfounded and levelled on behest of the BJP to browbeat the PDP leadership.</p>