Hurriyat leaders received money from Pak: NIA orders probe, Cong terms allegations 'extremely serious'

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing the role of Lashker-e-Taiba chief Hafeez Mohammed Saeed and hardline Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani in subversive activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

The NIA named the two in its Preliminary Enquiry (PE), which precedes the filing of a case. It also named Naeem Khan, who was seen on television during a sting operation purportedly confessing to receiving money from Pakistan-based terror groups.

The others named in the PE were Farooq Ahmed Dar alias 'Bitta Karate' and Gazi Javed Baba of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat.

The NIA team arrived in Srinagar today to question those named in the PE and to collect documentary evidence against them. The LeT chief is based in Pakistan.

In a PE, the NIA can ask those named in the case to appear before it but cannot force them to do so, or arrest them.

The NIA team will be reviewing evidence collected in connection with the burning of schools last year after the Hizbul Mujahideen's poster boy, Burhan Wani, was killed in an encounter with security forces on July 8.

The NIA's PE alleged that the separatists were receiving funds from the LeT chief to carry out subversive activities in the Kashmir Valley, including pelting security forces with stones, damaging public property and burning schools and other government establishments.

The NIA has also taken cognisance of a news item related to a recording of conversations between a TV reporter and leaders of separatist groups operating in the Kashmir Valley in this regard, he said.

The Congress termed as "extremely serious" the allegations that Hurriyat leaders received funds from across the border and called for strong action as it involves national security.

AICC spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi also hit out at the central and the Jammu and Kashmir governments saying there has never been such a rapid, accelerated and tragic decline in governance in the state as has been in the last 36 months.

"It is extremely serious. It is gross, brazen and blatant and deserves the strongest action in the shortest possible time and in the most effective manner. This undermines national security directly and completely," he said.

The Congress leader, however, trained his guns on the BJP saying its leaders are preaching on Kashmir even when they have been in power both at the Centre and the state, and alleged that there has been lack of governance in the state under them.

"What we are seeing everyday is homilies, preachings, lectures, sermons being given by none less than high government functionaries to which the entire country, in a bemused, amused manner asks itself and the nation asks that whom are you giving lectures to," he said.

"Be it casualties, violence, lack of governance, lack of decision making, lack of co-ordination, security scenario different departments and ministers pulling in directions, no consistency of policy etc. etc. In 36 months we have seen the most rapid decline," he said.

Singh said the Congress has also been in power for 10 years in Kashmir amid external infiltrations, "but never before have we seen this kind of tragic state of affairs which makes the heart of every Indian bleed".