On June 12, 2023, the National Investigative Agency (NIA) attached the three immovable properties of a terror-funding Kashmiri Businessman, Zahoor Ahmed Shah Watali, in the Kupwara District of Jammu and Kashmir, India
As per officials, a team of the NIA attached the immovable properties in the name of Watali at the village Baghatpora in Handwara, Kupwara district. The properties were attached following an order passed by a special NIA Court in New Delhi on May 2023.
Official sources privy to the development said that the land measuring 13.3 Marlas, 8.6 Marlas 10.3 Marlas was attached by the team of NIA officials.
Marlas is a unit of measurement, One Marlas is 272.51 sq. feet.
It is pertinent here to mention that Watali is an accused in the terror funding case and was arrested by the NIA in 2017. A trial court in May 2022 framed the charges against Watali and others in a case related to terrorism and secessionist activities in J&K in the year 2017.
As per the notice, “This is to inform all members of the public CI: and the immovable properties, i.e., lands measuring i) 13.3 Marlas under Survey Number 457. The second was 8.6 Marlas Survey number 458. The third was 10.3 Marlas in Survey Number 991/453 min at village Baghatpora, Handwara District, Kupwara (J&K) in the name of Zahoor Shah Watali, S/O of Late Ghulam Nabi Shah Watali, Add: Watali House, Bhagat near Gurudwara Srinagar (p&k) and Permanent Address: village Kachwari, Handwara, District Kupwara has been attached under the court orders dated 31st May 2023 in RC-10/2017/ NIA/DLI by the Special NIA Court, Patiala House Courts, New Delhi.”
According to the NIA, the Zahoor Ahmed Shah Watali, along with others, were the fundraisers and financial conduits. According to NIA Chargesheet, the investigation revealed that the secessionist was mobilising funds from all possible sources to fuel unrest and support the ongoing secessionists and terrorist activities in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
They were getting funds from Pakistan-based terrorist organisations and local donations,
During the investigations, a document was seized from the house of Ghulam Mohammed Bhatt, which shows that Zahoor was receiving money from Hafiz Saeed, the head of Jamaat-Ud-Dawa and was remitting the same to the Hurriyat leaders, stone pelters and separatists.
In May 2022, the NIA Court (trial Court) had framed charges against Watali and others under the sections of the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC)
The court formally framed the charges against Kashmiri Separatists leaders such as Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate, Shabbir Shah, Masarat Alam, Mohammed Yousuf Shah, Aftab Ahmed Shah, Nayeem Khan, Abdul Rashid Sheikh, Shabir Ahmed Shah, Bashir Ahmed Bhat and Mohammed Akbar along with Naval Kishore Kapoor.
Watali, suspected of acting as a conduit for the illegal remittance of funds to secessionists, stone pelters and terrorists, was arrested in 1990 when some anti-national activities were found at his house in Bagat, Srinagar. He was taken in custody along with JKLF chief Yasin Malik, and others were jailed for eight months in Jammu.
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