The Hindu : Hurriyat chief questioned on foreign funding allegations

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 12, 2003

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Hurriyat chief questioned on foreign funding allegations

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR APRIL 11. A Delhi police team questioned the All-Party Hurriyat Conference chairman, Abdul Gani Bhat, here on Thursday in connection with the alleged foreign funding of separatists in the Valley.

The team questioned Prof. Bhat about the reported funding of the Hurriyat by Pakistan since his name figured in the FIR lodged following the arrest of Zamruda Habib, chief of Muslim Khwateen Markaz — a constituent of the Hurriyat — in Delhi in February this year. Zamruda was arrested outside the Pakistan Embassy and Rs. 3 lakhs were recovered from her, which, she said, were meant for Prof. Bhat.

When contacted, Prof. Bhat said: "Yes, they (police team) came to my house. They were nice. I stated what I knew and hopefully they got my point... I told them the allegations were baseless". He refused to give further details.

LeT refutes police claim

The Pakistan-backed militant outfit, the Lashkar-e-Taiba, today refuted the State police claim that it was involved in the massacre of 24 Kashmiri Pandits in Nadimarg on March 23.

The Director-General of Police, Ashok K. Suri, had claimed on Thursday that the arrested district commander of LeT, Zia Mustafa, had confirmed LeT's involvement in the massacre.

The LeT spokesman, Abu Osama, said in a statement that Zia had been actually arrested on March 16, while the massacre took place on March 23.

The police claims were baseless and aimed at maligning the "freedom struggle in Kashmir''. The Lashkar did not believe in killing innocents, as it was against the teachings of the Quran and Prophet Muhammad, he added.

He also denied that his outfit had issued any direction on avenging the killings of Muslims in Gujarat.

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