Mirwaiz says can’t travel to Delhi for NIA questioning

Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Monday decided not to appear in person before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi citing fears for his security in view of “conditions of hostility.”

“The notice (to Mirwaiz) appears to have been issued on the basis of fallacious assumptions and misinformation solely aimed at maligning the Mirwaiz-i-Kashmir, knowing his status and position, it appears to be the outcome of considerations other than the law. My client is not acquainted with the subject matter of FIR/NIA Crime No. RC 10/2017/NIA/DLI, referred to in the notice,” said his legal counsel in response to NIA summon to the Mirwaiz.

The anti-terror probe agency is investigating a case related to terror funding in Kashmir through hawala channels. The agency last month carried out a series of raids on separatists, including the Mirwaiz, and summoned him for questioning in Delhi.

"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," his counsel, Aijaz Ahmad Dhar, said in a letter to the NIA in response to the agency's March 6 notice.

If the NIA wants to question the Mirwaiz, it can do so in Srinagar and he is willing to cooperate as “he has nothing to hide,” the counsel said.

Distancing his client from any links with militancy, he said, “Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s stand is clear. He has always stated that the Kashmir issue is a political and human issue which needs a political resolution either through the implementation of UN resolution or through dialogue amongst the three stake holders India Pakistan and people of Jammu and Kashmir. He has always stated that amicable relationship between India and Pakistan are imperative for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue and for peace and prosperity in the entire region of south Asia.”

He added it is on record that in 2004 and 2005 Mirwaiz and his colleagues from the Hurriyat engaged in a dialogue initiated by the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and continued by his successor Manmohan Singh. The Government of India facilitated the travel of Mirwaiz and his colleagues to Pakistan to pave the path for a peaceful resolution of the issue.

“Therefore, unsubstantiated attempts to link the Mirwaiz in false and fabricated cases of “terror funding” through manipulation and exercise of powers is unjustified. It is clearly aimed to silence him through intimidation and harassment. The Mirwaiz has all along made it unequivocally clear that he firmly believes in a non-violent and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue,” the written response added.