In a decisive move against Pakistan-backed separatist elements in J&K, Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat has ordered the attachment of property belonging to Mian Abdul Qayoom a long-time terror sympathiser, Pakistani agent, and close associate of jailed J&K Liberation Front (JKLF) terrorist Yasin Malik. The action, taken under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), marks a significant step in dismantling the financial and ideological infrastructure sustaining separatism in the Valley.
The attached property a two-storey house along with land measuring 2 kanals, 1 marla, and 90 square feet at Bulbul Bagh, Barzulla in Srinagar, has been categorised as “proceeds of terrorism” under Section 2(g) of the UAPA. Police investigations have established that Qayoom used the premises to store banned literature, correspondence linked to Hizbul Mujahideen, and other incriminating material connected to anti-India propaganda.
#BREAKING | J&K DGP Nalin Prabhat orders attachment of property belonging to Pakistani agent & terror sympathiser Mian Abdul Qayoom, close associate of jailed JKLF terrorist Yasin Malik.
The 2-storey house and land in Barzulla, Srinagar, have been seized under UAPA for aiding… pic.twitter.com/HQMB4qkvPK
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) November 12, 2025
The case traces back to December 31, 2009, when the Shaheed Gunj Police Station registered a case after receiving intelligence about a seditious seminar held at Hotel Jahangir in Srinagar. The event, organised to mark the death anniversary of Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, was led by Feroz Ahmad Khan, vice-chairman of the Muslim Legacy.
Among the participants were notorious separatists Aasia Andrabi, Shabir Ahmad Najar (district president, Muslim League), and Mian Abdul Qayoom, then president of the Kashmir High Court Bar Association. According to the police order, the participants “delivered anti-India speeches and raised anti-national slogans,” asserting that “the future of Kashmir depends upon Pakistan” and calling for the imposition of Islamic law in J&K.
Following the seminar, a case under Sections 120, 120-B, 121, and 153-A of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) and Section 13 of the UAPA was registered at Shaheed Gunj Police Station.
During the course of investigation, police obtained a search warrant for Qayoom’s residence. The search yielded banned Hizbul Mujahideen literature, a blank letterhead bearing the organisation’s seal, a press-note-type document attributed to Hizbul Mujahideen, and a letter from Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin addressed to then U.S. President Bill Clinton evidence linking Qayoom to the network of Pakistan-sponsored terror propaganda.
Police officials confirmed that an Executive Magistrate and independent witnesses were present during the search, ensuring procedural transparency. On the basis of the evidence recovered, Sections 38 and 39 of the UAPA were invoked, recognising Qayoom’s active association with and support for a designated terrorist organisation.
The DGP’s order noted that the evidence collected by the investigation team has “prima facie established that the accused Mian Abdul Qayoom used his residential premises for concealing incriminatory material and for the furtherance of terrorist activities.” The order further stated that the property registered under mutation number 338 in his name falls under the definition of “proceeds of terrorism” and is, therefore, liable to attachment under Section 25 of the UAPA.
“Now, therefore, in exercise of powers conferred by Section 25 of the UAPA, prior approval is accorded for attachment of the property,” reads the directive issued to the SDPO, Shaheed Gunj.
The 80-year-old Qayoom, once seen as the legal face of Kashmir’s separatist lobby, is currently incarcerated in the murder case of Advocate Babar Qadri, a vocal critic of separatists and Pakistani interference. Qadri was assassinated by three gunmen outside his Srinagar home in September 2020.
The Special Investigation Agency (SIA) arrested Qayoom on June 25, 2024, and later filed a supplementary chargesheet in December 2024, asserting that Qayoom had a long-standing enmity with Qadri and had orchestrated his murder “through terrorists of The Resistance Front (TRF) and their handlers in Pakistan by hatching a criminal conspiracy.”
This is not the first time Qayoom has faced the law. He was detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) on August 5, 2019, the day Article 370 was abrogated, following his attempts to incite unrest in the Valley. He was released nearly a year later.
A known ideologue of Pakistan’s ISI-backed ecosystem, Qayoom used his influence as a lawyer to legitimise separatist narratives under the guise of “civil rights” and “legal activism.” His close association with Yasin Malik and frequent appearances at separatist conventions had long made him a figure of interest to security agencies.
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