NIA raids Pulwama traders in terror funding case

National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday raided the premises of two traders in Pulwama and Srinagar districts involved in cross Line of control (LoC) trade. 

A joint team of NIA and J&K police raided the premises of Ghulam Ahmad Wani in Keller area of Pulwama. Sources said he was involved in cross LoC trade before the government suspended it on Feb 14 in the wake of terror attack in Pulwama.  

Srinagar’s Parimpora fruit Mandi was also raided. Kashmiri businessman, Zahoor Watali and several separatist leaders were arrested for receiving funds from Pakistan to sponsor terror activities in Kashmir. He is said to be an aide of Syed Ali Shah Geelani. NIA sources said that Watali had assets worth crores and owned properties in Britain and Dubai. Key separatist leaders Shabbir Shah, Asiya Andrabi and Masarat Alam are currently lodged in Delhi Tihar jail. NIA claimed that Dukhtaran-e-Millathad chief Asiya Andrabi and Masarat Alam confessed that they collected  funds from foreign sources to organise protests in J&K no local group came forward, when the tender were floated by NMC.