News Analysis India

Tag: Hizbul Terrorists

  • SIA to issue letters rogatory to request Pakistan court for info on activities of three Hizbul terrorists

    By PTI

    JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir State Investigation Agency will use the “tool of letter rogatory” and request a court in Pakistan for information about three Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorists, two of whom are hiding in that country, and coordinating secessionist activities in the union territory, officials said.

    The probe agency on Monday filed a charge sheet in a NIA special court against Asif Shabir Naik, a resident of Kashtigarh in Doda, his father Shabir Hussain Naik alias Khalid Shabir, currently operating from Pakistan and Safdar Hussain alias Ehsan of Marmat in Doda, who is also based in Pakistan, they said.

    While Asif Naik is in judicial custody, his father and his associate Safdar Hussain are hiding in Pakistan and have been designated absconders, an SIA spokesman said.

    The officials said that as Asif Naik’s stay in Pakistan was for almost three years, the major part of the investigation pertains to the territory of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

    During his visits, Asif Naik had stayed along with Shabir Naik and Safdar Hussain in Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) camps, they said.

    “Even when common place knowledge suggests that Pakistan authorities would not co-operate in assisting this legally mandated investigation, it was thought prudent and legally warranted to use the tool of letter rogatory and request the Pakistani court of law through the laid down channel seeking information about activities of Asif while in Pakistan”, the spokesman said.

    Similar, letters of rogatory related request have been initiated pertaining to Shabir Naik, a HM media advisor, and Safdar Hussain, who are hiding in Pakistan, he said, adding that the endeavours are being made to get some more evidence.

    According to the charge sheet, Asif Naik was intercepted at the Srinagar airport while he was trying to go back to Pakistan.

    There were intelligence inputs that he had been visiting Pakistan posing as a student studying there, the officials said.

    He was actually visiting terrorist and separatist training facilities there, suggested the intelligence inputs, the spokesman said.

    The investigation revealed brazen and egregious misuse of travel documents by Pakistani agencies, the charge sheet said.

    In this case, the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen with the “blessings” of Pakistani agencies gave the cover of studentship to Asif Naik.

    He used his stay in Pakistan to meet his father and also undergo training in sabotage and subversion, it said.

    “Asif Naik’s interrogation in the context of the digital evidence revealed that Pakistan had arranged his admission at the International Islamic University in Islamabad in a mass communication programme as cover, and simultaneously facilitated his internship in the media cell of the HM run by his father,” the spokesman said.

    The investigation revealed that Asif Naik had completely concealed that his father was in Pakistan, a senior figure in the HM and close to Syed Sallauddin, he said.

    He had falsely mentioned that he was visiting Pakistan to meet a relative, the charge sheet said.

    It said it is suspected that the objective of Asif Naik’s admission, as a student in a mass media course in Pakistan, was that he would to return to India as a journalist, clandestinely get embedded in the system and receive instructions on planning, coordinating and executing not only propaganda operations but separatist and even violent terrorist actions.

    But for the videos in his cell phone the latter part of the adversary agenda would not have surfaced, the spokesman added.

  • SIA files chargesheet against three Hizbul terrorists

    By PTI

    JAMMU: The State Investigation Agency on Monday filed a charge sheet against three Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorists, including two operating from Pakistan, for coordinating terrorist and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

    The charge sheet has been filed in a case registered on November 7 last year and investigation was conducted over the last about six months, they said.

    This assumes importance in the context of the government’s strategy to identify Jammu and Kashmir residents who are hiding in Pakistan and coordinating terrorist and secessionist activities behind the scene from across the border, the officials said.

    The State Investigation Agency (SIA) has filed the charge sheet in a special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) terrorists Asif Shabir Naik, a resident of Kashtigarh in Doda, his father Shabir Hussain Naik alais Khalid Shabir, currently operating from Pakistan, and Safdar Hussain alais Ehsan of Marmat in Doda, who is also based in Pakistan, an SIA spokesman said.

    According to the SIA charge sheet, Asif Naik was intercepted at the Srinagar airport while he was trying to go back to Pakistan.

    There were intelligence inputs that he had been visiting Pakistan posing as a student studying there, the officials said.

    He was actually visiting terrorist and separatist training facilities there, suggested the intelligence inputs, the spokesman said.

    While Asif Naik is in judicial custody, the other two — Shabir Naik and his associate Safdar Hussain — are hiding in Pakistan and have been designated absconders, he said.

    The SIA conducted investigations have resulted in unearthing of a story of a father, who crossed into Pakistan illegally, and climbed the ladder of seniority in the Syed Sallauddin-led HM.

    He then became the media advisor looking after the propaganda cell of the terror outfit, the officials said.

    The investigation revealed brazen and egregious misuse of travel documents by Pakistani agencies, the charge sheet said.

    In this case, the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen with “blessings” of Pakistani agencies gave the cover of studentship to Asif Naik.

    He used his stay in Pakistan to meet his father and also undergo training in sabotage and subversion, it said.

    The SIA, which went into all aspect of the cross-border terror network of recruitment’s, said that the forensics of the Asif Naik’s phone devices showed that he had videographed army installations along the Baramula-Srinagar road.

    He had also photographed the access road to the airport and security features adjacent to it.

    The charge sheet said that while the visa on Asif Naik’s passport showed that he is a visitor, but immigration records indicated he was a student.

    “Asif Naik’s interrogation in the context of digital evidence revealed that Pakistan had arranged his admission at the International Islamic University in Islamabad in a mass communication programme as cover and simultaneously facilitated his internship in the media cell of the HM run by his father”, the spokesman said.

    The investigation revealed that Asif Naik had completely concealed that his father was in Pakistan and a senior figure in the HM and close to the leader of Syed Sallauddin, he said.

    He had falsely mentioned that he was visiting Pakistan to meet a relative, the charge sheet said.

    It said it is suspected that the objective of Asif Naik’s admission, as a student in a mass media course in Pakistan, was that he would to return to India as a journalist, clandestinely get embedded in the system and receive instructions on planning, coordinating and executing not only propaganda operations but separatist and even violent terrorist actions.

    But for the videos in his cell phone the latter part of the adversary agenda would not have surfaced, the spokesman added.