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SNS KASHMIR

SRINAGAR, MARCH 5 :

Jammu and Kashmir High Court judge, Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey, on Friday declined to hear National Conference president Farooq Abdullah’s petition against an ED order attaching his properties in a case of alleged money laundering.

“During the course of hearing of submissions of learned counsel for the petitioner (Farooq), I bethought that earlier in some matters arising out of somewhat identical basic allegations, I have declined to hear the case,” Justice Magrey said. “On confirmation it was revealed

that in fact, I have declined to hear the PIL No. 08/2014, titled Majid Yaqoob Dar and Anr. Vs. State and Ors., while sitting in the Division Bench with Mr. Justice N. Paul Vasantha Kumar, the then Chief Justice, by order dated 28.07.2015, passed therein and another case bearing LPA No. 293/2019 titled Ahsan Ahmad Mirza and Ors., Vs. Enforcement Directorate and Anr., while sitting in the Division Bench, by order dated 02.12.2019.”

In light of above, the judge said: “the judicial propriety demands the case be listed before some other Bench, on 08.03.2021.”

The ED has alleged that Abdullah misused his position as president of the J&K Cricket Association (JKCA) from 2001-2011 and made appointments in the sports body so Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sponsored funds could be laundered.

The former three-time Chief minister said the list of properties, valued around almost Rs 12 crore, attached by the ED in Kashmir and in Jammu were unrelated to the alleged activity mentioned in the Final Report/FIR.

The 83-year-old parliamentarian has said his ancestral and family properties in Jammu and Kashmir have been illegally attached by ED despite the fact that it had “no jurisdiction to do the same.”

“The illegal, excessive and arbitrary attachment of properties has resulted in grave injustice to the Petitioner, and is a continuing violation of his fundamental rights under Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution.”

In 2012, he submits that certain allegations regarding the siphoning off of JKCA funds emerged.

“As per the Final Report, these discrepancies were noticed by the then Treasurer, Manzoor Ahmed Wazir who brought it to the notice of the President (Farooq) who convened an immediate meeting of the Office Bearers of JKCA and subsequently an FIR No. 27/2012 dated 10.03.2012 under Sections 409, 406, 120B RPC was registered in PS Ram Munshi Bagh naming the erstwhile General Secretary and Treasurer namely Saleem Khan and Ahsan Ahmad Mirza as accused persons.”

He said along with initiating a police investigation regarding these allegations, Farooq submits that he constituted an In-House Probe Committee comprising of independent members of the Working Committee. “This Probe Committee submitted its interim report on 13.05.2012 and confirmed the embezzlement of funds by certain office bearers of the JKCA.”

He said ED’s 18 December 2020 action, attaching his properties, was illegal and arbitrary.

“A bare perusal makes it amply clear that the ED has simply adopted the case of the CBI and the resulting Final Report filed against the Petitioner (Farooq). Barring the recording of a handful of statements under Section 50 PMLA, no independent inquiry has been conducted into the present case, rendering it inherently biased,” he said, adding, “Nowhere has the ED satisfactorily offered reasons to believe the (Farooq) is in possession of proceeds of crime, or that such proceeds are likely to be concealed, transferred or dealt with in any manner which may result in frustrating any proceedings under the PMLA, as is required under Section 5 PMLA. Admittedly, the properties attached have no relation to the present case.”

He said that all properties attached by the ED are either ancestral or acquired by him prior to the date of the alleged offences. “The allegations against (Farooq) pertain to the period 2004 to 2009.The attached properties were acquired prior to the alleged commission of the offences, and hence were not involved in any alleged money-laundering or related criminal activity,” he said and sought directions to stay the proceedings pending before the Adjudicating Authority in relation to the “Original Complaint No. 1387 of 2021 during the pendency of the present petition.” (GNS)

SNS KASHMIR

SRINAGAR, MARCH 5 :

Enforcement Directorate on Friday summoned PDP president Mehbooba Mufti for questioning on March 15th in a money laundering case.

PDP leader, who was released last year after more than a year in detention, has been served notice to appear at the ED headquarters in Delhi.

The case has been filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Meanwhile Mehbooba Tweeted said GOIs tactics to intimidate & browbeat political opponents to make them toe their line has become tediously predictable.They don’t want us to raise questions about its punitive actions & policies. Such short sighted scheming wont work

SNS KASHMIR

SRINAGAR MARCH 05 :

Kashmir Press Club has condemned the assault on two photojournalists by the police who were performing their professional duties in Srinagar’s Downtown on Friday.

The two journalists identified as Shafat Farooq, cameraperson with BBC and Saqib Majeed, a freelance photographer were beaten after protests broke out in Nowhatta area after the culmination of congregational Friday prayers at Srinagar’s historic Jamia Masjid.

“As we were covering the protest, police chased us. A policeman came from nowhere and hit me in my back. I asked the cop why did he hit me. Senior police officials present on the spot apologized for what had happened,” Shafat told Kashmir Press Club management. He complained of severe back pain after the assault.

Shafat said that another photojournalist was also beaten by police.
“We were dispensing our professional duties.

However, soon after a police party chased us and one of them caught me by my collar, slapped me several times and even dragged me on the road,” said Saqib after the assualt to a few media outlets.

While taking note of the assault and condemning the police behavior, Kashmir Press Club urges upon the police authorities to sensitize its ranks about its conduct/response towards the press/media persons. Else, it becomes clear that the intimidation, harassment and assaults are meant to stop journalists from doing their duties.

The KPC hopes that the journalists are allowed to conduct their professional duties without fear and coercion.

SNS KASHMIR

ISLAMABAD, MAR 5 :

Pakistan’s election commission on Friday expressed shock and disappointment over Prime Minister Imran Khan’s allegations against it, asserting that the Senate elections were held as per the Constitution and it has ‘never come under any sort of pressure and God willing, will not in future as well.’ The strong comments were made by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in a statement following a crucial meeting of its members to review Prime Minister Khan’s statements against it on Thursday in an address to the nation.

The meeting was summoned by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.

Prime Minister Khan lashed out at the election commission which he said failed to stop corruption in Wednesday’s closely-contested Senate elections.

‘You (ECP) discredited democracy…you damaged the morality of the nation by doing nothing to stop vote-buying,’ he alleged.

Khan’s criticism of the ECP came after Opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) candidate and former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani defeated ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on Wednesday, in a major blow to the Prime Minister who personally campaigned for his Cabinet colleague.

According to Geo TV, the ECP in the statement said, ‘this is the beauty of democracy and independent elections and the secret ballot which the entire nation witnessed, which was according to the Constitution.’ Rejecting Khan’s allegations, the commission said it has ‘never come under any sort of pressure and God willing, will not in future as well’.

‘We cannot ignore the law and the Constitution to please anyone,’ said the ECP in its statement.

Urging its critics to bring forward evidence of the ECP’s wrongdoing, it asked them to not indulge in mud slinging on national institutions.

The ECP said that ahead of the Senate polls, it had heard all delegations that had called on it to discuss election-related matters and conducted a detailed review of their concerns and recommendations.

Stressing that it was a constitutional and independent institution, the ECP said that if someone has objections to the body’s decisions or orders, it could take the constitutional way but let the institution work independently, the Dawn newspaper reported, citing the statement.

‘It is a shocking matter that under the same staff in the same (election) under the same roof on the same day, (what they won) is acceptable and (what they lost) is unacceptable. Is this not an open contradiction?’ it said.

Every political party and politician should have the courage to accept defeat, it said.

It said the statements made by ‘some members of the federal cabinet, especially by the Prime Minister are ‘saddening,’ according to the Dawn report.

‘If the constitutional institutions continue to be ridiculed in this way, it is tantamount to their (government’s) weakness and not that of the ECP,’ it said.

Meanwhile, talking to reporters later in the day, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said that the PTI and the prime minister “immensely respect all of Pakistan’s institutions”, including the ECP.

He said that it was inappropriate for the ECP to issue a statement on the Prime Minister’s address as he had said nothing wrong in holding the ECP responsible for the failure to ensure transparency in the Senate elections.

“Institutions show their neutrality and freedom through their actions, not press releases,” Chaudhry was quoted as saying in the report.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the Senate elections would be held through a secret ballot, amid a raging controversy among the government and Opposition parties about allowing an open vote to avoid corruption.

Under mounting pressure from the Opposition to resign, Pakistan Prime Minister Khan announced that he will seek a vote of confidence on Saturday.

He also accused the grand Opposition alliance for ‘making a mockery of democracy’ and said that he will never let the corrupt politicians off the hook. PTI

SNS KASHMIR

MUMBAI, MARCH 5:

Hiren Mansukh, owner of the vehicle with explosives which had been found parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence last week, was found dead in a creek in neighboring Thane on Friday, police said.

Mansukh, around 45 years old, had gone missing on Thursday night. The body was found on the banks of the creek along the Mumbra Reti Bunder road, a senior official of Thane Police said.

Mansukh’s Scorpio with gelatin sticks inside was found near `Antilia’, Ambani’s multi-storey residence in South Mumbai, on February 25. Police had said it had been stolen from Airoli-Mulund Bridge on February 18.

Crime Branch of Mumbai police had recorded Mansukh’s statement in the case. Mansukh, who was in vehicle spare parts business, had said he had lodged a police complaint after the SUV was stolen.

On Friday afternoon his family members approached Naupada Police Station in Thane saying he had gone missing.

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Devendra Fadnavis said the death of aprime witness showed that something was fishy.

“I reiterate the demand that the case be handed over to the NIA,” the BJP leader said.(PTI)

SNS KASHMIR

SRINAGAR MARCH 05 :

Two photojournalists were allegedly assaulted by the police after sporadic protests were witnessed following the culmination of Friday congregation prayers at historic Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta in central-Kashmir’s Srinagar district.

The two photojournalists identifying themselves as Shafat Farooq, working Cameraperson for BBC and Saqib Majeed, a reputed Freelance photographer said that many media persons had gathered outside Jamia Masjid after protests were reported from the venue ahead of anticipated release of Mirwaiz Umer Farooq.

“We were dispensing our professional duties however soon after a police party chased us and one of them caught me by my collar, slapped me several times and even dragged me on the road”, Saqib, who also happens to be a recipient of Wisden MCC ‘Photograph of the Year Award’ said.

Shafat Farooq alleged that he too was manhandled by some police personnel. “I was hit with a gun butt in my back by the police while they chased us away from the site”, Bhat said.

However Police could not be contacted for comments(GNS)

SNS KASHMIR

SRINAGAR, MAR 05:

Senior Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq will not lead the congregation Friday prayers at historic Jamia Masjid today as he continues to be under house detention, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) informed here.

In a statement issued to News Agency Kashmir Dot Com (KDC), APHC has expressed strong resentment and regret that after announcing the release of it’s chairman Mirwaiz e Kashmir Molvi Umar Farooq from twenty month long house detention since August 2019, Government authorities went back on their decision.

APHC said that late last night police officials visited Mirwaiz’s residence to convey to him that he continues to be under house arrest, and will not be allowed to go to Jama Masjid for Friday prayers and Majlis waz o tableeg today. And since early morning additional forces have been deployed outside his house and in the area converting it into a garrison.

APHC strongly condemns this authoritarian flip flop of the Government.

APHC said that recently in the Indian parliament, the Government of India’s Minister of State for Home Affairs had categorically stated that no one in Jammu & Kashmir is under house arrest. If that is so, why does Mirwaiz continue to be detained?

APHC said that this imperious decision of the authorities has hurt the sentiments of people and further aggrieved them, as they were eagerly awaiting Mirwaiz’s release from arbitrary house arrest.

APHC appeals to people that though hugely disappointing they should not lose hope and show patience and at no cost resort to any form of violent protest.

Pertinently, some media houses had claimed that the government has set free Mirwaiz Umar Farooq from house detention. (KDC)

SNS KASHMIR

Syeed Imtiyaz

KUPWARA MARCH 05 :

Reportedly Suspected militants lobbed a grenade towards J&K police vehicle near Bus Stand Kupwara in North Kashmir. However, the grenade didn’t explode…. Meanwhile, joint forces have cordoned off whole area to nab the militants.

SNS KASHMIR

BANDIPORA, MARCH 05 :

National conference leader Hilal Akbar Lone, who was booked under UAPA, was released late last night after additional session judge Baramulla granted him bail in a “hate speech” case that was registered against him by Hajin police a month ago.

An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that Hilal Lone, who is also the elder son of member parliament from north Kashmir and senior NC leader Mohammad Akbar Lone was released late last night.

He said Additional Session Judge Baramulla granted bail to Hilal in a hate speech case that was registered against him by Hajin Police, a month ago.

Earlier, Hilal was booked under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for delivering a ‘hate speech’  while addressing a public rally during DDC election campaign in Hajin last year.

The official said that Hilal was granted subject to the condition that he would furnish a surety bond of Rs 2 lakh and remain present during the trial—(KNO)

National Conference leader Javaid Ahmad Dar ,Apni Party Spokesman Javaid Hassan Beigh, Abdul Qayoom Wani, DDC Member Rohama Rafiabad Shabir Ahmad, Peoples Conference leader Haji Khursheed Ahmad Khan, DDC Members from Narwava ,Baramulla, Sangrama ,Adv Shahid Ali Shah and Gh Hassan Rahi have also Condoles the Sad demise of Zahoor Ahmad Mir,

SNS KASHMIR

SRINAGAR MARCH 04 :

Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf  Bukhari expressed deep shock and grief over  the sudden demise of Zahoor Ahmad Mir, the Party youth leader who died of massive heart attack at SKIMS SOURA.

.  The deceased was the nephew of Party senior leader and former minister Mohammad Dilawar Mir and had contested recently held district development council elections from Rohama territorial constituency on the mandate of Apni Party.  Describing his demise a personal loss, Bukhari said that the decased was a thorough gentleman and a valuable asset for the Party.  “I pray to Almighty Allah to give endurance to the whole family, relatives and associates of the decased to face this difficult time,” he remarked.  

National Conference leader Javaid Ahmad Dar ,Apni Party Spokesman Javaid Hassan Beigh, Abdul Qayoom Wani, DDC Member Rohama Rafiabad Shabir Ahmad, Peoples Conference leader Haji Khursheed Ahmad Khan, DDC Members from Narwava ,Baramulla, Sangrama,Adv Shahid Ali Shah and Gh Hassan Rahi have also Condoles the Sad demise of Zahoor Ahmad Mir,