NIA should probe govt's involvement in terror funds: Farooq Abdullah

Seven people were arrested on Tue over allegations of providing funds to terror groups in Kashmir

National Conference (NC) supremo Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said that while National Investigative Agency (NIA) has probed funding of separatist group and involvement of Pakistan in the same, it must also investigate whether the Indian government ever funded them or not.

Farooq Abdullah told ANI, "I congratulate NIA for its probe on funding of Hurriyat leaders. Where the money come from and how was being been utilised, we will get to know that soon. One fact should also be investigated if Indian Government funded Hurriyat or not."

The central probe agency on Monday arrested seven people, including the son-in-law of separatist leader SAS Geelani, for allegedly funding terror groups in Kashmir.

The seven are Altaf Shah, Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Mehraj Kalwal, Shahid-ul-Islam, Naeem Khan and Bitta Karate. The seven separatists include Naeem Khan, Bitta Karate, Altaf Funtus, Ayaz Akbar, T. Saifullah, Meraz Kalwal and Saheed Ul Islam.

The arrested Hurriyat leaders were brought to the headquarters of the CBI in Delhi yesterday.

All the seven of them were produced before the Patiala House Court on Tuesday.

The accused have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Six of them were arrested from Srinagar, while Bitta Karate was arrested from New Delhi.

The NIA visited Srinagar in May to probe the alleged funding by Pakistan for illegal activities in Kashmir, and questioned several separatist leaders on the issue of raising, collecting and transferring funds via the Hawala route and other channels to fund terror activities in Kashmir.

NIA sleuths specifically questioned separatist leaders Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate and Gazi Javed Baba at that time.

The NIA is said to be probing all aspects of funding to separatist leaders and how they reportedly used these funds to fuel unrest in the Kashmir Valley.