NIA files charge sheet against 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed, 11 others in terror funding case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday filed a charge sheet in a Delhi court against terror masterminds Hafiz Saeed and Syed Salahuddin and 10 Kashmiri terrorists in a case of alleged terror funding and secessionist activities in the valley.

The charge sheet was filed by the probe agency before Additional Sessions Judge Tarun Sherawat, who kept it for consideration later in the day.

The probe agency said the 12,794-page charge sheet has been filed against 12 page charge sheet has been filed against 12 persons including Hafiz Saeed, the head of banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen head Syed Salahuddin for conspiring to wage war against the government (Section 121 of Indian Penal Code) by carrying out terrorist and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

It said that offences for which the accused have been chargesheeted include those punishable under sections 120B of IPC (criminal conspiracy) and various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Besides Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen head Salahuddin, the other 10 persons accused in the final report are - Hurriyat leader Syed Shah Geelani's son-in-law Altaf Ahmed Shah, Geelani's personal assistant Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Aftab Ahmad Shah, Media Advisor and strategist of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Chairman of secessionist outfit National Front, Farooq Ahmad Dar, Chairman of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (R), Mohammad Akbar Khanday, media advisor of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (Geelani faction), Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal, office-bearer of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watal, a hawala conduit and two stone-pelters - Kamran Yusuf and Javed Ahmad Bhat.

According to the NIA, the case was registered on May 30, 2017 and the first arrests made on July 24 last year.

The agency said that during the course of investigation, its teams conducted searches at over 60 locations spread across Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Delhi and seized over 950 incriminating documents and over 600 electronic devices.

Over 300 witnesses were examined during the probe, it said.

The NIA said the scrutiny and analysis of the documents and digital devices established that the accused Hurriyat leaders, the terrorists and the stone-pelters were carrying out terrorist attacks and orchestrating violence in Jammu and Kashmir as a part of their "well-planned" criminal conspiracy.

It said that conspiracy was hatched with active support, connivance and funding from terrorist organisations based in Pakistan and its agencies to achieve their objective of secession secession of the Jammu and Kashmir by waging war against the Indian government.