NIA court recommends transfer of J-K terror funding case to special MP-MLA court after Er Rashid becomes MP

New Delhi, Nov 21: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court, which is currently hearing the Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) terror funding case, has recommended the transfer of the case to a special court designated for MPs/MLAs, considering that one of the accused, Engineer Rashid, is now an MP.

The court urged the District Judge of Patiala House Court that the case be sent to a specially designated judge for MPs/MLAs, who will take up the matter on November 25.

The court, while making recommendations for transfer, also sent all pending applications, including the regular bail plea of Engineer Rashid to the District Judge.

Engineer Rashid, an Independent Lok Sabha MP from Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir, has recently surrendered at Tihar Jail after his interim bail expired. This is related to the Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case currently being investigated by the NIA.

In August 2019, Rashid was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). During his incarceration, he filed his nomination for the 2024 parliamentary elections from jail and won by a margin of 204,000 votes, defeating former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

In 2022, the NIA Court of Patiala House Court ordered the framing of charges against Engineer Rashid and several other key figures, including Hafiz Saeed, Syed Salahuddin, Yasin Malik, Shabbir Shah, Masrat Alam, Zahoor Ahmed Watali, Bitta Karate, Aftab Ahmed Shah, Avtar Ahmed Shah, Naeem Khan, and Bashir Ahmed Butt (also known as Peer Saifullah).

The charges are part of an ongoing investigation into terror funding in Jammu and Kashmir, where the National Investigation Agency (NIA) alleges that various militant organizations, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and JKLF, collaborated with Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI, to orchestrate attacks on civilians and security forces in the region.

The NIA's investigation claims that in 1993, the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) was formed to further separatist activities, with funding channelled through hawala and other covert methods. Hafiz Saeed, along with Hurriyat leaders, is accused of using these illicit funds to fuel unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, targeting security forces, inciting violence, burning schools, and damaging public property. The agency contends that these operations were designed to destabilize the region and promote terrorism under the guise of political resistance.