J&K: Delhi Court Convicts Yasin Malik in Terror Funding Case

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday convicted Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, who had earlier pleaded guilty to all charges, including those under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), in a terror funding case.

Special Judge Praveen Singh directed the NIA authorities to assess Malik's financial situation to determine the amount of fine to be imposed and posted the matter for arguments on the quantum of sentence on May 25.

Malik had told the court that he was not contesting the charges levelled against him including Section 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for the terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy to commit terrorist act), and 20 (being a member of terrorist gang or organisation) of the UAPA and Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (sedition) of the IPC.

The court had earlier also formally framed the charges against Kashmiri separatist leaders including Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate, Shabbir Shah, Masarat Alam, Md Yusuf Shah, Aftab Ahmad Shah, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Khan, Md Akbar Khanday, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Abdul Rashid Sheikh, and Naval Kishore Kapoor.

The charge sheet was also filed against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, who have been declared proclaimed offenders (PO) in the case.

The case pertains to the alleged conspiracy by Hafiz Saeed and separatist leaders, including the members of the Hurriyat Conference, who had acted in connivance with active members of proscribed terrorist organizations -- Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) -- and others to raise, receive and collect funds domestically and from abroad through various illegal channels, including hawala.

The funds were for the purpose of separatist and terrorist activities in J&K to cause disruption in the Valley by way of pelting stones on security forces, systematically burning schools, damaging public property, and waging war against India.

According to the NIA, the investigation established that Yasin Malik was the head Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), and was involved in terror activities in J&K.

“In 2016, he along with other Hurriyat leaders formed a self-styled group called 'Joint Resistance Leadership', whereby they started issuing directions to the masses to hold protests, demonstrations, hartaals, shutdowns, road-blocks and such other disruptive activities which would push the entire society into chaos and lawlessness,” the NIA said.

 He was also involved in raising funds from LOC traders, various entities based abroad and distributing those funds among militants and stone-pelters for funding stone-pelting and demonstrations, the agency said.

The further trial against the remaining accused persons in the case continues.