9 chargesheeted for 'selling' MBBS seats in Pakistan colleges to Kashmiri students

Srinagar, December 30

The Special Investigation Agency (SIA) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police filed its first chargesheet against nine persons, including a Hurriyat leader, in a case related to “selling” of MBBS seats in Pakistan to Kashmiri students and using the money to support and fund terrorism, officials said on Thursday.

Those named

• Mohammad Akbar Bhat, alias Zaffar Akbar Bhat, chairman of Salvation Movement, a constituent of hardline Hurriyat Conference
• Abdul Jabbar, Fatima Shah, Altaf Ahmad Bhat Qazi Yasir, Mohammad Abdullah Shah, Sabzar Ahmad Sheikh, Manzoor Ahmad Shah, Syed Khalid Geelani and Mohd Iqbal Mir of Mahaz Azadi Front

The case was registered by the Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK), a branch of the police’s CID, in July last year after receiving information through reliable sources that several unscrupulous persons, including some Hurriyat leaders, were hand in glove with some educational consultancies and were “selling” Pakistan-based MBBS and other seats.

The CIK, which has been designated as the SIA now, filed its chargesheet in a court against Mohammad Akbar Bhat, alias Zaffar Akbar Bhat, chairman of Salvation Movement, a constituent of hardline Hurriyat Conference. Others named in the chargesheet are Abdul Jabbar, Fatima Shah, Altaf Ahmad Bhat Qazi Yasir, Mohammad Abdullah Shah, Sabzar Ahmad Sheikh, Manzoor Ahmad Shah, Syed Khalid Geelani and Mohd Iqbal Mir of Mahaz Azadi Front.

During the investigation, oral, documentary and technical evidence was collected and its analysis revealed that seats for MBBS and other professional courses were preferentially given to those students who were close family members or relatives of killed terrorists, they said. Evidence also came on record to show that money had been put into channels that ended up supporting programmes and projects pertaining to terrorism and separatism. — PTI