Within hours after the jailed separatist leader Shabbir Ahmed Shah's daughter Sehar Shah levelled allegations of harassment due to security ahead of the G20 summit in Srinagar, Srinagar Police denied all such allegations.
Srinagar Police, in a statement, said that the searches in the area were owing to inputs of the movement of terrorists and were not related to G20.
In a tweet, Srinagar Police wrote, "There are tweets by the daughter of separatist Shabbir Shah claiming harassment during the search operation. It is clarified that it was the search of 20 houses when inputs of the movement of terrorists in this locality came. This has nothing to do with G-20 but is routine in case of inputs."
The tweet further reads, "No harassment/harm whatsoever was caused during this search and all SOPs were followed. The lady is strangely linking this with G-20, more strange is an ex-CM linking this too with the event, when she herself was privy to such search in the particular locality due to terrorist sighting."
It also added, "The search team was having 3 DySPs, 4 lady officials & others. Such attempts of forwarding malicious agenda of attributing routine security measures to an event by the family of a separatist undergoing jail in a terror funding case show sheer frustration of some vested interests."
There are tweets by daughter of separatist Shabbir Shah claiming harrasment during search operation. It is clarified that it was search of 20 houses, when inputs of movement of terrorists in this locality came. This has nothing to do with G-20 but is routine in case of inputs 1/3
— Srinagar Police (@SrinagarPolice) May 18, 2023
Mehbooba endorses Sehar Shah's allegations without verification
Without verifying the allegations levelled by Sehar Shah, former Chief Minister and president of the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti endorsed Shabbir Shah's daughter.
"Right before G20 in Kashmir, security forces are breaking into homes, ransacking, and violating the privacy of people here. As if the existing repression in Kashmir wasn't enough, GOIs paranoia about G20 has unleashed bigger demons. Even women are not being spared", Mehbooba tweeted.
Right before G20 in Kashmir, security forces are breaking into homes, ransacking & violating the privacy of people here. As if the existing repression in Kashmir wasn’t enough, GOIs paranoia about G20 has unleashed bigger demons. Even women are not being spared. https://t.co/QMCH6yFcnt
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 18, 2023
Shabbir Shah's property already attached in terror funding case
The Enforcement Directorate has already attached the property of jailed separatist leader Shabir Ahmed Shah in connection with the terror funding case. Shabir Ahmed Shah is presently lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail in connection with the money laundering case to fund terror groups active in Kashmir Valley.
ED initiated the money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR dated 30.05.2017 against Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and others under various sections of IPC and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.
Investigation under PMLA revealed that Shabir Ahmad Shah was involved in receiving funds from the terrorist organization Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and other terrorist outfits based in Pakistan as well as from the Pakistani establishment through hawala and various other means and channels and these funds were then being used for fuelling and supporting terrorist activities in the Kashmir Valley.
During the course of the investigation, an immovable property worth Rs. 21.80 lakhs owned in the name of Shabir Ahmad Shah was identified and the same has been provisionally attached under PMLA.
Shabir Shah was arrested in 2017
Shabir Shah was arrested on July 25, 2017, in the case in which the Special Cell of Delhi Police had earlier arrested his close aide Aslam Wani. He was arrested in connection with over a decade-old money laundering case against him for alleged terror financing.
A Delhi court in 2017 issued a non-bailable warrant against the separatist leader. The agency had issued several summons to Shah over the last few years in pursuance of the August 2005 case, wherein the Delhi Police's Special Cell had arrested Mohammed Aslam Wani (35), an alleged hawala dealer, who had claimed that he passed on Rs 2.25 crore to Shah.
The ED had registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Shah and Wani who was arrested allegedly with Rs 63 lakh, which he had received through "hawala" channels from the Middle East, in 2005.
Shah's wife was also arrested in same case
The Enforcement Directorate has also made Shabir Shah's wife Dr. Bilquis Shah an accused in the same case. The agency named her as an accused in its supplementary charge sheet filed in the case in 2020.
In the chargesheet filed by Enforcement Directorate in 2020, the probe agency said that Bilquis Shah, along with Shabir Shah had received Rs 2.08 crore from Aslam Wani.
It said the claim was based on Wani's disclosure in the case, where he admitted that "all amounts were in cash and were handed over to Shabir Ahmad Shah and on three occasions to Dr. Bilquies Shah".
The ED alleged that she received the said amount knowing fully well that her husband had no known sources of income and that this money could not have been obtained through licit means.
However, on October 29, 2021, she was granted bail in the same case. The court granted her relief on a bail bond of Rs 50,000 with two sureties each in the like amount.
