SRINAGAR, Apr 7: Moderate Hurriyat Conference (HC) Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq will travel to New Delhi to appear before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on April 18 in a terror funding case.
The development comes after NIA issued third notice last week to Mirwaiz, directing him to appear before the agency at its headquarters in New Delhi on April 18. Mirwaiz had earlier refused to travel to Delhi, citing security concerns.
A spokesperson of moderate HC today said that Mirwaiz along with executive members of Hurriyat — Prof. Abdul Ghani Bhat, Bilal Gani Lone and Masroor Abbas Ansari — will travel to Delhi.
The national probe agency had issued third notice to the Mirwaiz, directing him to appear before NIA at its New Delhi headquarters on April 18.
“The notice states that Mirwaiz’s security concerns in New Delhi will be taken care of,” officials said.
On March 18, the Mirwaiz had reiterated that he is willing to cooperate in the matter but has asked for the venue for examination to be shifted from Delhi to Srinagar.
“Mirwaiz has already expressed his concern through his counsel in the earlier response dated March 10 and again on March 18,” a spokesperson for HC said.
The Counsel in his reply had mentioned that his client has informed him that on several occasions, many people have been examined by the Agency at Humhama Budgam while conducting investigation.
“He sees no reason why his client cannot be examined in similar manner,” the Counsel had said in the reply.
The first notice to appear before NIA on March 11 had come less than two weeks after the agency on February 26 conducted searches at the premises of separatist leaders, including the Mirwaiz, in his alleged connection with a terror funding case.
The State Government last month withdrew security cover to the Mirwaiz, following directions by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to review security and other facilities of all separatist leaders, after the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) fidayeen attack on CRPF convoy at Awantipora on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway left 44 jawans dead in February. (UNI)
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