NIA issues fresh summons to Mirwaiz, Naseem Geelani for questioning in Delhi

National Investigation ncy (NIA) on Thursday, March 14 issued fresh summons to Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to appear for questioning at probe ncy hequarters in connection with a financing case, officials said.

According to tice, Mirwaiz has been asked to appear at National Investigation ncy (NIA) hequarters in New Delhi on March 18, ncy officials said.

NIA h on February 26 carried out searches at premises of separatist leers, including Mirwaiz, in connection with case related to alleged militancy funding in Jammu and Kashmir.

RE: NIA Summons Kashmiri Separatists Mirwaiz, Geelani In Terror Financing Case, To Appear In Delhi On March 11

NIA team, accompanied by police and CRPF personnel, searched residences of some of separatist leers, including Mirwaiz, Naseem Geelani and Ashraf Sehrai, chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat. houses of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leer Yasin Malik, Shabir Shah, Zaffar Bhat and Masarat Alam were also raided.

NIA h questioned two maternal uncles of Mirwaiz -- Maulvi Manzoor and Maulvi Shafat -- and his close aides last year. Both Manzoor and Shafat are retired senior government officers.

He h been asked to appear before NIA on March 11 but Mirwaiz h expressed his inability to join investigation in Delhi fearing for his security in view of "conditions of hostility".

"Under prevailing conditions of hostility wherein re is a threat to personal safety of my client, it becomes unwise for my client to travel to Delhi," counsel for Mirwaiz, Aijaz Ahm Dhar, h said in a letter to NIA.

If NIA wants to question Mirwaiz, it can do so in Srinagar and he is willing to cooperate as "he has thing to hide", letter h said.

lawyer h said his client was t acquainted with subject matter of FIR referred to in NIA's tice and ded that tice to separatist leer appears to have been issued on basis of "fallacious assumptions and misinformation solely aimed at maligning Mirwaiz".

On his client's stand on Kashmir issue, lawyer said it has always been clear.

"He has always stated that Kashmir issue is a political and human issue which needs political resolution eir through implementation of UN resolutions or through dialogue amongst three stakeholders -- India, Pakistan and people of Jammu and Kashmir," counsel of Mirwaiz said.