Srinagar: Court work came to a grinding halt as lawyers across the valley abstained from work today due to a strike called by High Court Bar Association, Kashmir, against its president advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom once again being summoned by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with terror funding in the state.
Mr Qayoom has been asked to appear before NIA at its headquarters in New Delhi today.
“We yesterday unanimously decided to go on a strike today against the harassment and mental torture of Advocate Qayoom for no reason,” a member of HC Bar Association told UNI.
“All district and Mufassil Bar Associations, besides HC lawyers in the Valley will abstain from court work today,” he said.
He said the bar members will again meet on Friday morning to decide the further course of action. “Whether to continue the strike or end it, will depend on what happens tomorrow at New Delhi,” he added.
Courts across Kashmir valley remained deserted for four days till September 8 due to a strike called by the Bar Association, against NIA’s summon to Advocat Qayoom on September 6. The court work in the valley resumed only a day after Mr Qayoom reached Kashmir valley post his appearance before the NIA.
The HC Bar Association on September 7 also wrote an open letter to Chief Justice of India, Justice Dipak Misra, alleging that efforts were being made to frame Advocate Qayoom to prevent him from urging the cause of the people.
The letter further explained the reasons behind the strike in all courts called by the Bar Association for four days last week.
The NIA between September 6 and September 7 conducted searches at seven places in Srinagar and on outskirts in the Valley, where the agency arrested two alleged stone pelters on September 5 in connection with terror funding. Both the youth, one of them a freelance photojournalist, were sent to police custody for ten days.
The Bar Association in the letter to CJI had said that even though Advocate Qayoom has been summoned as a witness, they have reason to believe that there is more than what meets the eye.
The Bar Association had alleged that for quite some time now a new policy has emerged of involving men of consequence in criminal cases so as to prevent them from urging the cause of the people.
The NIA teams, assisted by state police and paramilitary forces, also 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, the Agency on August 17 arrested prominent Srinagar-based businessman Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, who was sent to police custody 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 kg heroin and brown sugar from the truck.
With the arrest of two youth on September 5, the NIA has so far arrested 10 people, including spokespersons of both the factions of Hurriyat Conference, 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-Hurriyat headed by Geelani, in Jammu.
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