NIA attaches properties of Kashmiri businessman Watali in terror funding case

The NIA erected a 'notice of attachment' near the land and people were informed not to enter into any kind of deal on the said properties

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday attached 17 properties belonging to Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, who was arrested in 2017 by the anti-terror probe agency in 2017 in a terror funding case.

The properties were attached in the Handwara area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on the orders by Special NIA Court, Patiala House, under section 33 (1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act on Monday, a spokesperson of the NIA said.

“17 properties of financier of terrorism in J&K, Zahoor Ahmed Shah Watali, in the Hurriyat terror funding case, in which JKLF commander Yasin Malik is currently undergoing life imprisonment, were attached,” he said.

Besides Malik, 17 others, including Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Amir of Jammat-ud-Dawah and top commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT) and Mohammad Yusuf Shah alias Syed Salahuddin, top commander of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, were charge-sheeted in the case, which had been registered suo-moto by the NIA on May 30, 2017.

Malik was convicted in all the various charges against him, and sentenced to life imprisonment and fine, in the case in May 2022.

Also Read: Why does New Delhi want death penalty for Yasin Malik?

“The case relates to terrorist and secessionist activities in Jammu & Kashmir carried out by proscribed ISI-backed organisations, such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), JKLF, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) etc. These outfits were spreading terror and perpetrating violence in the valley by promoting and conducting attacks on civilians and security forces,” the NIA investigations reveal.

“These banned terrorist groups were using the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), which was formed in1993, as a front for carrying out and supporting secessionist activities in Kashmir. Investigations in the case have revealed that the secessionists, arraigned as accused in the case, including the APHC, had entered into a criminal conspiracy and adopted a strategy of instigating the public to create a surcharged atmosphere in Kashmir and to resort to violence also,” it said.

The NIA investigation revealed that Watali had been sending the funds raised by him from various sources to the Hurriyat leaders to promote the secessionism of J&K from the Union of India.

“Investigations have revealed that Watali was a hawala conduit, who was receiving money from Hafiz Saeed, a ‘Specially Designated Global terrorist’ of the United States and a ‘listed global terrorist’ of the UN,” it said.

“Saeed had masterminded the 2001 Parliament attack and the 2008 Mumbai attacks. He had received foreign remittances into bank accounts running into crores between 2011 and 2013 from various sources. Besides, he had received foreign remittances in his Proprietorship Firm named M/s ‘Trisson International’, Srinagar and unexplained remittances were also found in his NRE Bank accounts,” it added.

Watali had shown the sale of a plot of land measuring 20 kanals, purportedly owned by Watali’s company, M/s ‘Trison Farms and Constructions Pvt. Ltd.’ to one Naval Kishore Kapoor, a co-accused in the case, the NIA statement said.

However, the investigations found that neither Watali nor his above-mentioned company was the owner of this plot of land in the revenue records. Watali is presently facing trial before the Special NIA Court in New Delhi, it added.

In February Watali, arrested by the NIA in 2017 in a terror financing case, was moved out of a jail and put under house arrest to facilitate treatment for a terminal disease.

Earlier, Watali had been granted bail by the Delhi High Court, which was turned down by the Supreme Court, saying “ample material has been collected to show the linkages between the Hurriyat leaders of the Jammu and Kashmir and terrorists/terrorist organisations and their continuous activities to wage war against Government of India”.