ED attaches Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali’s property worth Rs 1.03 crores over alleged funding to terror groups

ED has attached 25 properties in connection to the terror financing by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed (Founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamaat-Ud-Dawa) and Mohammad Yusuf Shah (Head of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen).

Zahoor AS Watali (Source: ANI)

Srinagar: As part of the massive crackdown on terror groups and their financing activities in Jammu and Kashmir, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached assets worth Rs 1.03 crore belonging to Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Ahmad Watali in a money laundering case related to funding of terror organisations in the state. ED has attached 25 properties in connection to the terror financing by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed (Founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamaat-Ud-Dawa) and Mohammad Yusuf Shah (Head of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen). Watali is being investigated by the agency for allegedly handling Hafiz Saeed's finances in India, according to reports. The National Investigative agency (NIA) in its chargesheet had alleged Watali received money from ISI in Pakistan, the Pakistan High Commission. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Watali in August 2017 on terror-funding charges. “The agency has issued a provisional order for attachment of assets of Watali under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The Enforcement Directorate (ED) case is based on a charge sheet filed by the NIA as part of its probe against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed,” official said.

NIA probe revealed that the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) instigate the people to observe strikes and issue directives to the masses to hold anti-India protests. "This is done willfully to create such circumstances which will arouse disaffection among the people of Jammu and Kashmir towards the Government of India," official said quoting the ED order.