Special Court frames Terror Charges against PDP Leader Waheed Parra

  

A special Court has framed terror charges against Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, a senior PDP leader & close aide of Ex-Jammu & Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti, based on a police charge sheet claiming that he was an asset for Pakistan-based terror groups & that his 13-year journey as a journalist & politician from 2007 was a "saga of subterfuge, deceit & double-dealing". The Court had heard arguments on the framing of charges from the defence & the prosecution earlier this month & it allowed framing of charges against Parra, who is alleged to have established a nexus with terrorists.

He sought support from terrorists for political gains & reciprocated by providing a range of help which led to terror strikes. The 8-page order made available on Monday stated that "prima facie there is sufficient evidence against the accused for alleged commission of offences under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act & Indian Penal Code." The special NIA Judge charged him with being a member of a terror group, raising funds for them as well as aiding an outfit. He was also charged under sections related to waging of war against the country, spreading disaffection against the Govt & criminal conspiracy.

"I have gone through the police report as well as the statements of the witnesses of the prosecution & have applied my mind into the present facts & circumstances levelled in the police report…as well as statements of the witnesses & the digital evidence against the accused, there is sufficient evidence against the accused for alleged commission of offences…," the Judge said in his order. With the help of 5 protected witnesses & technical intelligence, the Criminal Investigation Kashmir (CIK), a wing of the CID Department, submitted a charge sheet before the court alleging that Parra was hand in glove with terrorists to further the agenda of Pakistan-based terror groups & also to ensure that his political adversaries are neutralised.

The 19-page charge sheet, with hundreds of pages of annexures, has given instances of his attempts to eliminate political opponents & to help his party leaders by paying terror groups to swing the electoral battle in his party's favour. His lawyer Shariq Reyaz has denied all these charges & said that he would contest the order against his client.

The charge sheet has highlighted his links to Pakistan-trained Abu Dujana & Abu Qassim, who were killed in separate encounters with security forces, & went on to allege that he used to meet them personally as well as through Over Ground Workers (OGWs). The police tracked his journey from 2007 when he went to Pakistan & interviewed banned Hizbul Mujahideen's chief Syed Salahuddin & broadcast it on his local media channel which was being operated from Pulwama, his home district in south Kashmir.

 

 

 

Parra joined the PDP in 2013 & "once ensconced in the safety of a recognised political party…, the accused systematically went about strengthening himself by craftily deepening his roots on two sides of the divide — India & Pakistan". "…Parra had the permission of the Pakistani establishment to keep throwing crumbs at India, allowing them petty tactical gains & systematically pushing the overall situation, slowly but surely, in favour of Pakistan in a strategic sense. What played out over 13 years (2007-2020) was a saga of subterfuges, deceit & double meaning," the charge sheet alleged.

The CIK, which is mandated to probe cases under the UAPA & the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), took sanction for Parra's prosecution from the Jammu & Kashmir Home Department under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The CIK had filed a case last year against unknown politicians & others based on "reliable & confidential sources" who said some political functionaries were misusing their power & helping militants.

In March this year, Parra was charge-sheeted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) & it was alleged that the PDP youth leader had paid Rs 5 crore to the son-in-law of hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani for keeping Kashmir in turmoil after the death of Burhan Wani, a commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist group, in 2016. The NIA accused Parra, who was arrested last November, of being involved with banned terrorist groups such as the Hizbul Mujahideen & the Lashkar-e-Taiba.

 

The NIA alleged that after the death of Wani, who was killed in an encounter with the Army in July 2016, Parra got in touch with Altaf Ahmad Shah, alias Altaf Fantoosh, & asked him to ensure that the valley was kept on the boil with widespread unrest & stone-pelting. In Jan 2021, Parra was granted bail by the NIA Court, which said there was no reference to him in the original as well as the supplementary charge sheets presented in July & October last year respectively.

However, he was arrested by the CIK Wing in a case related to nexus between mainstream politicians & secessionists, & he continues to be in jail since then. His bail was rejected by the NIA Court in Srinagar.

Source Link

 

Social media is bold. 

Social media is young.

Social media raises questions.

 Social media is not satisfied with an answer.

Social media looks at the big picture.

 Social media is interested in every detail.

social media is curious.

 Social media is free.

Social media is irreplaceable.

But never irrelevant.

Social media is you.

(With input from news agency language)

 If you like this story, share it with a friend!  

We are a non-profit organization. Help us financially to keep our journalism free from government and corporate pressure.