Months after her younger sister tried to rake up fake police harassment issues to draw the attention of the world ahead of the G-20 summit in Kashmir Valley, Sama Shah, daughter of the jailed separatist leader Shabir Ahmed Shah and founder of Democratic Freedom Party, disassociated herself from any secessionist activity.
In a notice published in a section of Kashmir-based media, Sama Shah made it clear she is a loyal citizen of India and not affiliated with any person or any organization that is against the sovereignty of the Union of India.
"I, Sama Shabir Shah, daughter of Shabir Ahmed Shah, resident of Afandi Bagh, Sanat Nagar, Srinagar, want to clarify that I have not been associated nor have any affiliation with the Democratic Freedom Party, nor do I have any inclination towards the ideology of the Democratic Freedom Party. I hereby declare that if any person/s use my name with the said party, Democratic Freedom Party, I shall take legal action against them for incorporating my name in the said Democratic Freedom Party. It is further clarified that I am a loyal citizen of India and I am not affiliated with any person or any organization which is against the sovereignty of the Union of India", the notice issued in newspapers reads.
In 2019 ED issued a summon to Sama in a money laundering case
The Enforcement Directorate, in April 2019, had issued a summon to Sama in connection with a money laundering case.
Sama Shabir Shah, who was studying law in Manchester in the United Kingdom at that time, was issued a summons at her home in Srinagar.
The summon was issued in connection with her father's involvement in a money laundering case.
The ED had registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Shah and Aslam Wani.
Wani was arrested allegedly with Rs 63 lakh, received through "hawala" channels from the Middle East, and a large cache of ammunition, on August 26, 2005.
Sama's younger sister tried to rake up harassment issues ahead of the G-20 summit
In May 2023, ahead of the G20 summit in Srinagar, Sehar Shah, the younger daughter of Shabir Ahmed Shah, made an abortive attempt to take up harassment issues to draw the attention of the media.
During a normal search operation which was launched after inputs about the presence of some terrorists, Sehar Shah shared a video on social media in which she alleged that her family was harassed during the search operation. She related the search operation with the forthcoming G20 meeting in Srinagar.
Outrightly rejecting the allegation of Sehar Shah, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said that the searches in the area were owing to inputs of movement of terrorists and were not related to G20.
Shabir Shah is lodged in Tihar Jail
Shabir Ahmed Shah, the founder of the Democratic Freedom Party, was arrested on July 25, 2017, following the arrest of his associate Aslam Wani by the Special Cell of Delhi Police.
His detention stemmed from a longstanding money laundering case linked to allegations of terror funding dating back over a decade.
A Delhi court issued a non-bailable warrant against the separatist leader in 2017, with the investigative agency having issued numerous summons to Shah over the preceding years in connection with the case dating back to August 2005.
This case originated from the arrest of Mohammed Aslam Wani, an alleged hawala dealer, who claimed to have transferred Rs 2.25 crore to Shah.
Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) lodged a criminal case against both Shah and Wani, with Wani allegedly being found in possession of Rs 63 lakh received through "hawala" channels from the Middle East in 2005.
Dr. Bilquis Shah, Shabir Shah's wife, was also involved in the same case by the ED. She was named as an accused in the supplementary charge sheet filed in 2020, wherein the agency alleged that she, along with Shabir Shah, had received Rs 2.08 crore from Aslam Wani.
This claim was based on Wani's confession, wherein he admitted to delivering the funds to both Shabir Ahmad Shah and Dr. Bilquis Shah on multiple occasions.
The ED contended that Dr. Bilquis Shah received the aforementioned amount despite being aware of her husband's lack of legitimate income sources, suggesting that the funds could not have been acquired through legal means.
However, on October 29, 2021, Dr. Bilquis Shah was granted bail in the same case by the court. The relief was provided upon furnishing a bail bond of Rs 50,000 along with two sureties, each in the same amount.
