ED Registers Case against Hizbul Chief
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday registered a money-laundering case against Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and nine other terror suspects for pumping in money through hawala channels to support terror activities in the country.
The ED registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) after taking cognisance of the chargesheet issued by the NIA in the terror financing case of the outfit.
Apart from Salahuddin, Mohammad Shafi Shah alias Doctor, Talib lali alias Talib Hussain, Gulam Nabi Khan, Umer Farooq, Manzoor Dar, Zafar Hussain, Nazir Ahmed, Abdul Majeed and Mubarak Shah have been named in ED ECIR.
ED officials said the probe would look into money-laundering activities in front outfits floated by the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), which is one of the most active terrorist outfits in J&K with strong bases in Pulwama, Kupwara, Sopore, Budgam, Doda, Baramula and Srinagar in Jammu & Kashmir.
The NIA had charged Salahuddin and other terror suspects for pumping terror money into the state through an NGO, Jammu and Kashmir Affectees Relief Fund Trust (JKART) based in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
The NIA had registered a case in October 2011 and two masterminds Abdul Rashid alias Lali and Mohammad Shafi Shah alias Dr Dawood were taken into custody. Chairman of the trust, Mahboob-ul-Haq, and general secretary Masroor Dar have also been named in the NIA chargesheet.
The NIA in December, 2013, received permission from the government to send a Letter Rogatory to Pakistan for the arrest of Salahuddin.
Apart from identifying the huge financing of terrorist activities by the HM from Pakistan, the ED will also try to confiscate financial assets related to terror financing under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).