NIA issued the notice to Qayoom asking him to present himself at its headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday "for the purpose of answering certain questions relating to the case".
National Investigation Agency (NIA) has summoned top Kashmiri lawyer and president of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association Main Abdul Qayoom for questioning in the terror funding case as a witness on Wednesday.
NIA issued the notice to Qayoom asking him to present himself at its headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday "for the purpose of answering certain questions relating to the case".
Qayoom is the third lawyer of Jammu and Kashmir, who has been on the NIA radar after the terror funding case was registered and several separatists and businessmen arrested since April 30.
Earlier, on August 16, NIA raided the residence of advocate Mohammad Shafi Reshi at Bagaat-Barzulla in Srinagar and on July 30, the residence of advocate Devinder Singh Behal in Jammu was raided.
NIA's notice to Qayoom evoked a sharp reaction from lawyers, who immediately boycotted the courts in a protest on Monday.
"It is aimed at harassing and demonising the lawyer fraternity because they support the cause of people of Kashmir and defend the detainees and under trials before the High Court and the courts subordinate to it," said Bashir Sidiq, General Secretary of J&K High Court Bar Association.
Sidiq alleged that the NIA has issued a notice to Qayoom because the Bar Association has taken a stand in the Supreme Court on the use of pellets in Kashmir and is also getting arrayed as a party to the petition for striking down Article 35 A.
The association has decided to hold a general body meeting on Tuesday to chalk out the future course of action. "In order to show their solidarity with the Bar President, all the District and Mufassil Bar Associations of the valley have decided to abstain from court work on Tuesday," Sidiq said.
NIA's notice to Qayoom has come months after seven terrorists, including the son-in-law of Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani and a top aide of moderate leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, were arrested in the terror and stone pelting funding cases.
Those arrested included Altaf Ahmed Shah alias Fantoosh, the son in law of Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Peer Saifullah, political secretary of Geelani, Ayaz Akbar, spokesman of Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference, Raja Mehraj-ud-din Kalwal, the Srinagar district president of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat led by Geelani, and Shahid-ul-Islam, the media secretary of Mirwaiz.
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