Property of former Kashmir Bar chief attached under UAPA in militancy-linked case

According to officials, Qayoom’s Srinagar residence had been 'used for concealing incriminatory material and for the furtherance of alleged terrorist activities.'

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police have ordered the attachment of the residential property of former Kashmir Bar Association president Mian Abdul Qayoom, who is currently in detention for his alleged involvement in the killing of young lawyer Babar Qadri in a militancy-linked case.

According to officials, the attachment order was issued by Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), citing that Qayoom’s Srinagar residence had been “used for concealing incriminatory material and for the furtherance of alleged terrorist activities.”

The attachment order pertains to an old case — FIR No 157/09 registered at Police Station Shaheed Gunj under Sections 120, 120-B, 121, 153-A of the Ranbir Penal Code and Sections 13, 38, and 39 of the UAPA.

The case was filed after police received information that a seminar was held in December 2009 at Hotel Jahangir, Srinagar, on the death anniversary of Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, where several separatist leaders allegedly delivered anti-India speeches.

“Among the participants were Aasia Andrabi, Shabir Ahmad Najar, and Mian Abdul Qayoom, then president of the Bar Association. They raised anti-national slogans and stressed that the future of Kashmir depends upon Pakistan and that Islamic law should prevail in J&K,” the attachment order states.

During investigation, witness statements corroborated that the seminar participants “provoked the audience against the integrity of India and urged the crowd to support the secession of J&K from the Union of India.”

The police said a search of Qayoom’s residence was conducted after obtaining a court warrant, during which several incriminatory items were recovered.

Investigators concluded that Qayoom had “used his residential premises at Bulbul Bagh, Barzulla, Srinagar, for furthering terrorist activities.”

The order declared the property, registered under mutation No 3314, as falling “within the ambit of proceeds of terrorism” under Section 2(g) of the UAPA. “In exercise of powers conferred by Section 25 of the UAPA, prior approval is accorded for attachment of the two-storeyed residential house along with the land,” reads the order signed by DGP Prabhat.

Qayoom was arrested on June 25, 2024, as the principal conspirator in the September 24, 2020 killing of Babar Qadri, who was shot dead by militants at his residence in the Hawal area of Srinagar’s old city. Qadri, known for his outspoken criticism of separatist leaders and of Qayoom himself, had repeatedly flagged threats to his life on social media days before his murder.

Qayoom, a prominent lawyer, has been known for his separatist leanings. He has been detained multiple times in the past under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for his alleged role in backing separatist activities.