Srinagar: The recently formed State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday filed its first charge sheet against nine persons including Hurriyat leader in the alleged selling of MBBS seats in Pakistan to Kashmiri students.
The accused include chairman of Salvation Movement Zaffar Akbar Bhat, Fatima Shah wife of Nisar Ahmad Shah of Palhalan Pattan, Altaf Ahmad Bhat son of Abdul Jabar Bhat, Qazi Yasir son of Late Nisar Ahmad Qazi of Reshi Bazar in Anantnag, Mohammad Abdullah Shah son of Ghulam Ahmad Shah of Kulpora Salkoot Kupwara, Sabzar Ahmad Sheikh son of Bashir Ahmad Sheikh of Nowgam, Shangus Anantnag, Manzoor Ahmad Shah son of Ghulam Ahmad Shah of Kulpora Salkote Kupwara and Mohammad Iqbal Mir son of Ghulam Rasool Mir of Cheeni Chowk near Khwaja Mir Ali School Anantnag of Mahaz Azadi Front.
Altaf Ahmad Bhat and Manzoor Ahmad Shah are Indian nationals but are currently based in Pakistan.
Zaffar Akbar Bhat, Fatima Shah, Mohammad Abdullah Shah, and Sabzar Ahmad Sheikh have been arrested for being a part of the supply chain at one stage or the other.
Zaffar Akbar Bhat, among the aforementioned, is a leader belonging to the hardline Hurriyat Conference, a conservative political party based out of Kashmir.
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The charge sheet, under section 173 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, was filed in the case under sections 13, 17, 18, 40, ULP Act as well as 420 IPC in Srinagar police station by Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK), the Jammu Kashmir police's CID, before a Special Judge designated Court under the NIA Act.
The police had registered the case in July 2020, claiming the money collected from parents of the aspiring medical students was used to support and fund militancy and separatism in different ways.
The SIA said in the charge sheet that oral, documentary and technical evidence were collected and on analysis of collected evidence, it surfaced that MBBS and other professional degree-related seats were preferentially given to those students who are close family members or relatives of killed militants.
“Evidence also came on record to show that money had been put into channels that ended up in supporting programmes and projects pertaining to (militancy) and separatism,".
“The historical bonhomie between Hurriyat leaders and their masters in Pakistan has been again exposed through the investigations and has exposed their nefarious designs once more of being hand in glove with the (militants) based in Kashmir valley and Pakistan and the undercurrents of their close-knit relationship are only to destabilize the UT of J&K and Union of India,” it said.
“The investigation with regard to the other aspects of the investigation/suspects (Co-Conspirators) is in progress and the facts will be presented before the court through a supplementary charge sheet," the SIA further noted.
