At least 10 properties of a Jammu and Kashmir-based businessman, an Islamabad house of HizbulMujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and a host of immovable assets of separatists have been identified by security agencies for attachment in multiple militancy financing cases, officials said Monday.
The 10 properties of Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, currently inDelhi’s Tihar jail in a militancy funding case probed by the NIA, andSalahuddin’s house in a prime location in the Pakistan’s capital city are underthe scanner of the agencies.
The federal probe agencies like the Enforcement Directorate,the National Investigation Agency and the Income Tax Department will sooninitiate steps for attaching them under various criminal laws by approachingthe international bodies concerned, a security official said.
Watali’s properties include a single storyed house atChhanpora in Srinagar, land at Trison City, Narbal in Srinagar, a singlestoryed house at Handwara, eight kanal land at Nagrota in Jammu and an underconstruction nursing home in Srinagar district.
The businessman’s Gurgaon house has already been attached bythe ED under the PMLA.
Among the other accused whose assets have been identifiedinclude one two storyed house of Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate, situatedat NaseemBagh in Hazratbal tehsil, and a two storyed house of Mohammad AkbarKhanday on a 2.5 kanal land at Shalteng in Srinagar.
A two storyed house of Raja MehrajuddinKalwal located atHamza Colony, Kenihama in Srinagar and a two storyed house of Bashir Ahmad Bhatalias Peer Saifullah at Chadoora, Srinagar are also on the list.
The identification of the properties was part of thecontinuing crackdown on alleged militancy financiers by security agencies overthe few months.
Security agencies have already identified 13 people,including HizbulMujahideen founder Syed Salahuddin, Hurriyat leaders andbusinessmen, who are allegedly providing funds to militants and stone peltersat the behest of Pakistan spy agency ISI.
The Centre has started seizing properties belonging toalleged militancy financers in a big way, officials say.
Funds were provided to the leadership of Kashmir-basedmilitant groups for misguiding, motivating and recruiting local youths tomilitant ranks, another official said.
Operational activities of militant groups, including attackson security forces, camps and convoys, are also being financed, the officialsaid, adding money obtained through these channels are being “used by majorsecessionist formations, especially the Hurriyat Conference”.
These funds are used for maintaining Hurriyat’s topleadership and a massive propaganda machinery to arouse disaffection among thepeople of Jammu and Kashmir against the Centre, the officials alleged.
“They are also being utilised to spread false information through media contacts, newspapers and social media”.