India Grilled For Widening Scope of So-Called NIA Probe.

In occupied Kashmir, joint resistance leadership comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik has castigated India for widening the ambit of so-called investigations by its National Investigation Agency to harass and pressurize the Kashmiri leadership.

According to media sources, the resistance leadership in a joint statement issued in Srinagar said, “After arbitrarily raiding the houses of Hurriyat leaders, activists and workers and some traders by the NIA, arbitrary notices were sent to them by the agency to come to Delhi for investigation.” The leadership deplored that the family members and relatives of the leaders were also issued notices by the NIA. “And now notices are being issued to prestigious and esteemed educational and social institutions such as Anjuman-e-Nusrat-ul-Islam and Auqaf Jamia Masjid associated with the leadership,” the statement added. “Targeting these organizations and harassing those associated with them for political reasons is ridiculous and completely unacceptable. The repercussions of these vengeful and arm-twisting moves by the Indian government and its bearing on the situation in Kashmir will lie completely with those implementing these dirty ploys,” the joint leadership said. The statement added that all the notices served by the NIA for questioning were asking them to come to New Delhi “when this questioning business can be done in Srinagar at their regional office”. The statement said, “The kind of hostile and anti-Kashmir sentiment and hatred created by the government India through its viscous and jingoistic electronic media poses a serious life threat to those who are served the notices and asked to come to New Delhi.” “The fear of being physically harmed or even lynched is very real in such circumstances. As such, the leadership is seriously thinking that anyone who is served the notice by NIA should not go to New Delhi. If it has to be done by the agency, it should be conducted in Srinagar,” the leadership maintained.  The statement warned India that the security of these people was their responsibility and New Delhi would be solely responsible for any harm to their lives. Meanwhile, Anjuman-e-Nusrat-ul-Islam and Anujaman-e-Auqaf Jamia Masjid at a joint meeting in Srinagar condemned the notices sent to both by the NIA. “The meeting was chaired by the vice president of Anjuman-e-Auqaf Jamia Masjid Maulana Ahmad Syed Naqashbandi and attended by Anjuman-e-Nusrat-ul-Islam General Secretary Muhammad Ibraheem Shah and members and functionaries of both the institutions,” the statement said.