Court orders framing of charges against Yasin Malik, Hafiz Saeed

New Delhi, March 20

A Delhi court has ordered framing of charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front chief Mohammad Yasin Malik and others in a case related to alleged terrorism and secessionist activities that disturbed the Valley in 2017.

The court ordered framing of charges against Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed, Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, Kashmiri separatist leaders, including Yasin Malik, Shabbir Shah, Masarat Alam and others, under various sections of the stringent UAPA and the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy, waging war against the country and unlawful activities and terrorism.

The court also charged Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Md Yusuf Shah, Aftab Ahmad Shah, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Khan, Farooq Ahmad Dar, Md Akbar Khanday, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Masarat Alam, Abdul Rashid Sheikh and Naval Kishore Kapoor.

Special Judge Praveen Singh, after discussion of evidence, said prima facie it was established that Shabir Shah, Yasin Malik, Rashid Engineer, Altaf Fantoosh, Masrat and Hurriyat/Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) were the direct recipients of terror funds. The court said, “The baton was held by conductors sitting across the border in the form of Pakistani agencies, such as ISI, and each of the conspirators, knowing every other conspirator, was playing his own role as per the directions of the conductor in order to create a symphony of bloodshed, violence, mayhem and destruction with the ultimate object of secession of J&K.” — PTI

Secessionist activities under lens

• According to a Delhi court, the accused were involved in terror and secessionist activities that disturbed the Valley in 2017.
• Apart from Yasin and Hafiz, 13 others will also be charged.
• Terror funding has been done by Pakistan agencies and even diplomatic mission used to fulfil evil designs, observes court.