Srinagar: The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today launched his biggest attack on incumbent Mehbooba Mufti yet accusing her of being ‘hand-in-glove’ with Hurriyat.
“People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has won because of Hurriyat. Their stronghold lies in South Kashmir. There lies the answer. Ask the government to probe this,” he said.
“She (Mehbooba) is hand-in-glove with Hurriyat. One of her ministers write the statements that (separatist leader Syed Ali Shah) Geelani give,” Abdullah added.
According to a report in India Today, Farooq Abdullah said it was no surprise that reports suggested that the Jammu & Kashmir Police stalled the movement of arrested separatist leaders from Srinagar to Delhi on Monday evening. High drama is alleged to have played out at the airport, as the seven arrested were being moved by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), because the state government was upset it wasn’t kept in the loop about the arrests.
“You should hold the government of Kashmir and the chief minister responsible for this. The BJP should break up with them,” said Farooq Abdullah.
The former Jammu and Kashmir CM described the arrest of eight resistance leaders for receiving funds from Pakistan to fan unrest in the Valley as a good move but expressed doubt that when the NIA goes after the big fish – Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Yasin Malik – they would find it easy.
“It is a very good development. We all we know where is the money coming from,” Abdullah said.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested top resistance leaders.
While seven resistance leaders were arrested on Monday, Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP) president Shabir Shah was held late on Tuesday.
In May, the NIA had visited Srinagar to probe into the alleged funding by Pakistan for illegal activities in Kashmir, and questioned resistance leaders regarding their involvement in raising, collecting and transferring funds through Hawala and other channels for ‘terror’ funding in Kashmir.
Hurriyat leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani are already under house arrest. Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik is also under arrest.
