NIA court denies PDP’s Waheed Para permission to travel outside J&K
Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Waheed ur Rehman Para was denied permission by a Srinagar court to travel outside the Union Territory for his father’s treatment for a year.
Para had filed an application before the Special Judge Sandeep Gandotra of the NIA court, seeking permission to travel outside J&K for his father’s medical treatment who is suffering from cancer.
Para is facing charges in a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly supporting “terrorist activities,” and the High Court has prohibited him from leaving J&K as part of his bail conditions.
Special Judge Sandeep Gandotra denied Parra’s request for “blanket permission” to travel to Delhi and Mumbai, saying it would hinder the trial, and there was a genuine concern that Para might attempt to flee the country, reported Bar and Bench.
The court said, “One cannot lose sight of the fact that the applicant has filed this application seeking blanket permission for one year to go to Mumbai and Delhi for his father’s treatment without informing this court…”
The court added that Para had a history of filing applications to travel outside J&K and abroad for various reasons, including a previous application to travel to the United States and to take his ailing father to Mumbai for treatment.
The NIA court observed a dichotomy in Para’s applications for travel, as earlier, Para had filed an application seeking permission to travel to the USA for three months to attend the YALE fellowship, knowing well that his father was suffering from a serious medical condition. Now, he has filed the application seeking blanket permission for one year to travel to Mumbai for his father’s treatment.
“This clearly shows that the present application has been filed only to prolong the trial of the case,” Judge Gandotra said.
While denying permission to the PDP leader, the court expressed apprehensions that he might misuse his liberty and attempt to connect with “elements” in India who are suspected of “running terrorist/secessionist networks.”
The court also raised concerns about the applicant trying to influence the collection of evidence.
In June this year, Para was denied permission to travel abroad for the YALE Peace Fellowship; however, he was granted permission to travel to Mumbai on “humanitarian grounds” to enable him to take his father to the TATA Memorial Center in Mumbai in April.
NIA conducts raids in Poonch in Dhangri terror attack case
Jammu: The NIA on Saturday conducted raids on the premises of several suspects in Poonch district in connection with a Lashkar-e-Taiba attack that killed seven civilians in the Dhangri village of Rajouri district earlier this year, an official said.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) raids were conducted at five locations across the Gursai village of Mendhar tehsil in Poonch on the disclosure of two arrested accused, a spokesperson for the central agency said.
The agency arrested Nisar Ahmad alias Haji Nisar and Mushtaq Hussain on August 31. They are currently lodged in Central Jail, Kot Bhalwal, Jammu.
Five people were killed when terrorists opened fire on civilians in the Dhangri village on January 1. Two civilians were killed the following day when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) left behind by the terrorists exploded.
A case under provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Arms Act was initially registered at Rajouri police station. The NIA took over the case on January 13 and is carrying out further investigations.
The spokesperson said NIA teams conducted extensive searches at the locations, which he described as residential premises of overground workers linked with the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Several digital devices and documents containing incriminating data and content have been seized and those are being scrutinised for unravelling the conspiracy, the spokesperson said.
Investigations so far have revealed that both the arrested accused had harboured the terrorists who had carried out the attack.
“They provided logistics support to the terrorists for more than two months and sheltered them in a hideout that they had built,” the official said.
“The duo, as per the investigations, had been operating on the directions of Pakistan-based LeT handlers Saifullah alias Sajid Jutt, Abu Qatal alias Qatal Sindhi and Mohd Qasim,” the NIA spokesperson added.
