Srinagar: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two alleged stone pelters from Kashmir in connect with an ongoing probe into terror funding to stir unrest in the valley.
Official sources said that the arrested youth have been identified as Javed Ahmad Bhat of Kulgam and Kamran Yousuf of Pulwama in south Kashmir.
Meanwhile, NIA has summoned J&K High Court (HC) Bar Association, Kashmir, advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom to New Delhi tomorrow in connection with terror funding in the state.
However, lawyers across the valley abstained from work today due to a strike called by HC Bar Association, Kashmir, against the NIA notice to Qayoom. The lawyers also staged a protest outside the HC in this summer capital against NIA.
NIA teams, assisted by state police and paramilitary forces, raided a dozen places in summer capital, Srinagar, Tangmarg in Baramulla district, Handwara in the frontier district of Kupwara on August 16.
Following the raids, NIA on August 17 arrested prominent Srinagar-based businessman Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, who was sent to police custody for till Monday by a Special NIA Judge at Patiala House court.
As many as 34 companies of PoK were blacklisted to weed out any illegal activity on cross-Line of Control (LoC) trade routes after the recovery of drugs from a truck at Trade Facilitation Centre Salamabad Uri on July 21. The Cross-LoC trade between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of PoK, was suspended for about 22 days till August 11 following the recovery of 66.5 kilogram of heroin and brown sugar from the truck.
With Watali’s arrest, the NIA has so far arrested eight persons, including spokespersons of both the factions of Hurriyat Conference (HC), two sons and son-in-law of hardline HC chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani since last month after their questioning in Srinagar.
The NIA also conducted raids on their and other separatist leaders houses after a formal FIR was registered following alleged admission in a sting operation by Nayeem Ahmad Khan, chairman of National Front (NF) that separatists were receiving funds for terror activities in Kashmir from abroad. Khan, who is also under arrest, was later suspended from the HC headed by Geelani.
The agency carried out searches at 14 places on June 3 in Kashmir in connection with funds being received from Pakistan terror groups for carrying out subversive activities in the Valley. The disclosure by Khan led to NIA raids at several places in Delhi, Haryana, Jammu and Srinagar.
On July 30, the NIA also searched the office and residence of a lawyer, Devinder Singh Behal, chairman, Jammu and Kashmir Social Peace Forum, a constituent of Tehreek-e-Hurriayat headed by Geelani, in Jammu.
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