The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Watali on August 17 from Srinagar on allegations of funding terror and separatist organisation Hurriyat Conference.
Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, arrested in a case of terror funding, is bragging about his links, claiming to have played a key role in getting then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to attend Narendra Modi's oath ceremony as Prime Minister in 2014.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Watali on August 17 from Srinagar on allegations of funding terror and separatist organisation Hurriyat Conference.
He has been dropping to sleuths big names, including those of politicians, bureaucrats and intelligence officials, NIA sources said.
Watali is said to be a man of influence and connections. "He has been boasting of his links, but these are just diversionary tactics," said an official, tracking developments.
Watali has real estate businesses in Jammu and Kashmir and business interests in Delhi, sources said.
According to NIA, Watali is suspected of acting as a conduit for illegally remitting funds to secessionists, terrorists and stone-pelters. He was earlier arrested in 1990 by the Jammu & Kashmir police. He was taken into custody along with Yaseen Malik, Sajjad Gani Lone, Bilal Lone and others, and was jailed for eight months at Jammu.
Sources said NIA sought his custody and informed a Delhi court on Friday that the terror funding syndicate had international links and he needs to be confronted with various other key players. NIA was granted 10-day custody for further investigation.
NIA registered a case on May 30 this year to probe links of separatist leaders of Hurriyat Conference and funding of terror outfits in Kashmir. The larger conspiracy of burning schools, stone pelting and waging war against India is also part of the investigation.
Hafeez Saeed, the Pakistan-based chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba, has been named in the FIR as an accused, besides organisations such as the Hurriyat Conference (factions led by Geelani and Mirwaiz Farooq), terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen and Dukhtaran-e-Millat, an all-woman outfit of separatists.
Watali is the eighth person to be arrested in the terror funding case with seven others, including Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani's son-in-law Altaf Ahmed Shah, taken into custody earlier.
Watali was arrested a day after NIA raided several locations in Srinagar, Handwara, Kupwara and Baramulla that belong to his relatives and employees.
"The searches have unearthed highly incriminating material pertaining to receipt of funds by Zahoor Watali from foreign sources and its further distribution to the terrorists and separatists in Kashmir valley for anti-India activities," NIA said in a statement.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "pakistan-modi-sharif")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}