NEW DELHI: The NIA has told the Delhi High Court that Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik was using his contacts with top Pakistani leadership, including its Prime Minister and President, to propagate the secessionist agenda in the Valley.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) made the allegations in its plea seeking capital punishment for Malik for funding terror. The trial court had sentenced Malik to life imprisonment after he pleaded guilty.
The NIA further opposed his argument that several Indian PMs engaged him to resolve the Kashmir issue, saying it did not have any bearing on the case against Malik and did not absolve him of his crimes.
The agency alleged that Malik’s claims about proximity to several senior Indian politicians, foreign delegates, bureaucrats and media persons were for gaining popularity and drawing sympathy.
“Malik was in contact with the top leadership of Pakistan, including the PM, the President, senators of the Pakistani Senate, and the CMs of all provinces, and was using such contacts to propagate narratives against India and to further the secessionist agenda in Jammu & Kashmir,” the NIA told HC.
The affidavit added that mere mention of senior politicians and bureaucrats does not negate the fact that Malik had links with militants like Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen’s Syed Salahuddin.
The case listed for hearing before a bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja, was adjourned for July after Malik claimed that he had not received NIA’s rejoinder.
Malik who is arguing his case in person had earlier told the court that he met Saeed and other terrorists in 2006 at the request of then-Intelligence Bureau (IB) Special Director VK Joshi.
He said Ajit Doval visited him in jail in the early 2000s and broke the news of his release. The NIA has opposed Malik’s claim, saying the matters pertain to the accused’s personal communications with senior politicians and other forums of the Indian government, which were within his exclusive knowledge, and “appear to have been raised solely to elicit public sympathy.”