The chargesheet filed by the State Investigation Agency (SIA) in the infamous "selling MBBS seats" scam has exposed how the Hurriyat leaders have brazenly looted the hard-earned money of the people and dumped youth of Jammu and Kashmir.
On December 30, the newly constituted SIA of Jammu and Kashmir Police had filed its first chargesheet against nine people, including the leader of Hurriyat Conference Zaffar Bhat for selling MBBS seats in Pakistan to students of Kashmir.
Money earned by selling MBBS seats was used to fund terror groups active in Kashmir Valley and other parts of the Union Territory. Bhat is chairman of the Salvation Movement, which is one of the constituents of the Hurriyat Conference.
The charge sheet under section 173 CrPc was filed in case FIR No. 05/2020 under section 13, 17, 18, 40, ULP Act, 420 IPC of police station CIK Srinagar before Special Judge designated Court at Srinagar under NIA Act.
Fake 'national talent search' exams conducted to hoodwink people
As per chargesheet, some Hurriyat leaders allegedly used some consultancy firms to trap prospective students for engineering and medical degrees in Pakistan by conducting fake 'national talent search' examinations.
The chargesheet mentioned instances where parents were taken across the border using valid travel documents but were later compelled to pay extra money for their wards' admission to universities and colleges there.
Parents who usually trapped in the gameplan of Hurriyat leaders were forced to pay extra money to be paid either online or to be delivered of agents of these leaders sitting in Kashmir Valley.
Parents would comply with such diktats of these Pakistan-based Hurriyat leaders or terrorists of Kashmiri origin living in Pakistan to seek admissions to MBBS at Pakistan.
In a few cases, students and parents were completely duped by the accused and their hard-earned money was never or partly returned.
Money used to fund terror groups in Kashmir Valley
It is mentioned in the chargesheet that the accumulated money under a well-knitted conspiracy would land in the hands of active terrorists, families of killed terrorists, and stone-pelters through some Hurriyat leaders and their associates to further terrorists and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
Every year over 100 students from Kashmir Valley usually go to Pakistan for higher studies, especially for MBBS. In the year 2020, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had unearthed the scam between students, Pakistan High Commission officials, and separatists of Kashmir Valley.
The NIA had termed admissions of students from Jammu and Kashmir to medical institutions in Pakistan on the recommendations of separatists as an "alternative mechanism" of terror funding in the Valley.
Hurriyat leaders exploit gullible parents
In the charge sheet it is mentioned that as part of a larger conspiracy, Hurriyat leaders used to motivate gullible parents of students aspiring for professional courses, especially for MBBS, to apply to Pakistan through Valley-based consultancies, without their knowledge, assuring cost-effectiveness in comparison with other South Asian or Middle East countries offering such courses.
According to chargesheet, the Hurriyat leaders were demanding huge amounts of money from parents for getting their children admitted to different technical courses in Pakistan and would also arrange recommendation letters from Hurriyat and other valid travel documents from Pakistan Embassy, New Delhi to facilitate their visit to the neighbouring nation for admission.
