Less than a fortnight after raiding their residences, the National Investigation Agency has summoned Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Naseem Geelani, son of Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani, to its New Delhi headquarters for questioning into a funding case registered in 2017.
The summons was served to Mirwaiz and Naseem throughdistrict police Srinagar on Saturday.
After serving the summons, the police placed Mirwaiz underhouse arrest. Hurriyat (M) leader Bilal Lone told Greater Kashmir that he,Prof. Abdul Ghani Bhat and his lawyer were not allowed to enter the Nigeenresidence of Mirwaiz.
Mirwaiz, the head priest of Kashmir who leads prayers atValley’s largest mosque – Jamia Masjid Srinagar, has been asked to appearbefore the NIA on Monday morning and Naseem on Tuesday.
This is for the first time Mirwaiz has been summoned forquestioning in any case, while as Naseem had been questioned thrice by NIA sofar.
On February 27, NIA carried out raids at seven places,including residences of Mirwaiz, Naseem and JKLF chief Yaseen Malik who wasbooked under PSA two days ago, and claimed to have recovered “incriminatingdocuments”.
The NIA has registered the funding case in 2017. In July2017, the probe agency had arrested several separatist leaders includingHurriyat chief Syed Ali Geelani’s son-in-law Altaf Ahmed Shah;Tehreek-e-Hurriyat’s Ayaz Akbar and Mehrajuddin Kalwal and Peer Saifullah;Shahid-ul-Islam who is from the Mirwaiz faction of the Hurriyat and Nayeem Khanof the Jammu Kashmir National Front. Farooq Ahmed Dar aka Bitta Karatay wastaken into custody in New Delhi.