On Sunday, the Indian National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided 57 locations allegedly linked to members and office bearers of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in 14 districts of Jammu and Kashmir in connection with terror funding activities in the region.
The Indian Express reported that the outfit members were allegedly collecting funds under the garb of welfare activities and charity for terrorist organisations like Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba. An NIA spokesperson said, “The Jamaat-e-Islami has also been motivating impressionable youth of Kashmir and recruiting new members in Jammu and Kashmir to participate in disruptive secessionist activities.”
The NIA conducted the searches with the assistance of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in several districts, including Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla, Anantnag, Pulwama, and Kulgam, and seized incriminating documents and electronic devices.
The JeI, founded in 1942, was banned by the Indian government for five years on February 28, 2019 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, as it was “in close touch” with militant outfits responsible for terrorist activities and for “escalat[ing] [the] secessionist movement” in the region. Making the announcement, the Cabinet Committee on Security stated that the outfit aims to secure “the right of self-determination/independence from the Indian dominion” and ensure Jammu and Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan. Consequently, in February 2021, the NIA lodged a case against the outfit, and Sunday’s raids were in pursuance of that investigation. Apart from this, the NIA also conducted similar searches in Jammu and Kashmir earlier this week; and on July 14, other locations were raided in connection with the case.
The JeI Jammu and Kashmir, which is closely linked with the United Jihad Council based in Pakistan, continues to have a strong presence in the region. In 1990, following a surge in violence in Kashmir, the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen declared itself as the military arm of the outfit. The JeI denounced militancy in 1997 after hundreds of its members were killed during counter-insurgency operations in the mid-90s. Nevertheless, Indian authorities claim that the group continues to be associated with terrorist and separatist activities.
India Conducts Raids at 57 locations linked with Jamaat-e-Islami in J&K
The Indian National Investigation Agency raided 56 locations in Jammu and Kashmir allegedly linked to the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, accusing it of funding militancy in the violence-prone region.
August 9, 2021
SOURCE: REUTERS