Mirwaiz Umar Farooq reaches NIA headquarters in New Delhi, urges people to maintain peace

Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Monday arrived in New Delhi to appear before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with an alleged terror funding case. The NIA had summoned him for questioning twice in the past but he had not complied with the orders citing security concerns. Mirwaiz, who is one of the religious heads of Muslims in the Kashmir Valley, had written to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), saying he had no knowledge of the case mentioned by the agency in it’s summon served on him.

Taking to Twitter, Mirwaiz wrote, "In Delhi today with my colleagues for the NIA summon ,efforts to malign leadership for its political stand wont work. Inspite of harassment #Hurriyat will continue to seek peaceful resolution of the #Kashmir issue,urge people back home to stay calm and peaceful (sic)."

Jammu & Kashmir: Hurriyat Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq leaves from his residence in Srinagar for Delhi. He will appear before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with a terror funding case today. pic.twitter.com/IyVomRy2xS

— ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2019

Earlier, he had been served a notice for appearing before the agency on March 11 but the lawyer of the Mirwaiz informed the NIA, through a four-page letter, that his client was willing to cooperate as he could not travel in view of the "conditions of hostility".

"Under the prevailing conditions of hostility wherein there is a threat to the personal safety of my client, it becomes unwise for my client to travel to Delhi," counsel for the Mirwaiz, Aijaz Ahmad Dhar, had said.

He had also maintained that his client is not acquainted with the subject matter of the FIR referred to in the NIA's notice.

The NIA is investigating a case related to funding of terror and separatist organisations in Kashmir through hawala channels. The agency last month carried out a series of raids on separatists, including the Mirwaiz.

The NIA had said that letterheads of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamat-ud-Dawa, Hizbul Mujahideen and other organisations are among various "significant evidences" that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) says are enough to book top separatist leaders, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

The NIA had also questioned two maternal uncles of the Mirwaiz - Maulvi Manzoor and Maulvi Shafat - and his close aides last year. Both Manzoor and Shafat are retired senior government officers. Earlier, an NIA team, accompanied by police and CRPF personnel, searched residences of some of the separatist leaders, including the Mirwaiz, Naseem Geelani and Ashraf Sehrai, the chairman of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat. Barring the Mirwaiz and Sehrai, all other leaders have been jailed.