Kashmiri separatist leader, businessman apply for bail

A senior Kashmiri separatist leader and a businessman arrested on charges of receiving funds from Pakistan to sponsor terrorist activities and stone-pelting in Jammu and Kashmir have moved the court for bail, court sources said on Thursday.

Kashmiri separatist leader Nayeem Khan moved his bail plea last week while businessman Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali moved his bail plea on Monday, the sources said.

The court will hear Khan's bail plea on Friday and Watali's on October 17.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will file respond to the bail plea of Khan on October 13 before District Judge Poonam Bamba.

Both the accused are in judicial custody till October 17.

On July 24, the NIA arrested seven Kashmiri separatists -- Aftab Hilali Shah alias Shahid-ul-Islam, Ayaz Akbar Khandey, Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate, Nayeem Khan, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal and Bashir Ahmad Bhat alias Peer Saifullah.

Arrested in mid-August, Watali is accused of acting as a conduit for channelling funds for separatists and terror activities in the Kashmir Valley.

He was allegedly collecting funds from Pakistan and banned terrorist organisations and transferring them to Hurriyat leaders.

Watali is known to be friends with Pakistani leaders as well as Kashmiri separatists besides the mainstream politicians in Jammu and Kashmir, the NIA said.

They were booked on charges of criminal conspiracy and waging war against India.

--IANS

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