Delhi court convicts Hurriyat leader Yasin Malik in terror-funding case

New Delhi: A Delhi court Thursday convicted Hurriyat leader Yasin Malik in a terror-funding case after Yasin had pleaded guilty to all the charges last Tuesday, including the ones under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). 

Following the charges, the court directed Yasin to disclose all the sources of his income and declare all his assets by filing an affidavit, NDTV reported. 

The court also asked India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) to find out about Yasin's financial situation, so that it could decide the amount of fine to impose on him. The sentence will be issued on May 25. 

According to NDTV, Yasin had refused to accept the charges, including Section 16 (terrorist act), Section 17 (raising funds for a terrorist act), Section 18 (conspiracy to commit a terrorist act) and Section 20 (being a member of terrorist gang or organisation) of the UAPA and Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code. 

The court had said that Yasin "had set up an elaborate structure and mechanism across the world to raise funds for carrying out terrorist and other unlawful activities in Jammu and Kashmir in the name of the 'freedom struggle'."

Pakistan strongly condemns fabricated charges against Yasin Malik

Following the conviction of Yasin, Pakistan strongly condemned the "fabricated charges against him" and called the Indian charge d’ affaires to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday in this regard.

According to the Foreign Office spokesperson, the Indian diplomat was conveyed Pakistan’s "grave concern that in a bid to suppress the voice of the indigenous Kashmiri leadership, the Indian government had resorted to implicating them in fictitious and motivated cases".

"Neither the malevolent Indian tactics of conjuring up false charges against Kashmiri leadership nor the environment of persecution, repression and intimidation could quash the resolute struggle of the Kashmiris," the FO told the diplomat, according to a statement. 

The Indian side was also conveyed Pakistan’s deep concern over Yasin's incarceration in Tihar Jail since 2019 under inhuman conditions. The brutal treatment meted out to him despite his chronic ailments and denial of decent health care facilities had resulted in a steep decline in his health.

The Cd’A was advised to prevail upon his government that "rather than unlawfully keeping the Kashmiri leadership hostage and denying them their fundamental human rights, it must immediately halt its state-sponsored terrorism in the IOJK, release all political prisoners incarcerated on trumped-up charges, stop human rights violations, lift the inhuman military siege and let the people of IOJK exercise their right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions."

-- Pakistan calls for acquittal of Yasin Malik --

Pakistan called upon the Indian government for the acquittal of Yasin from all baseless charges and immediate release from prison so that he could be reunited with his family, recuperate his health and return to normal life.

Pakistan also urged the international community, including the United Nations and relevant human rights and humanitarian organisations to take immediate cognisance of the inhuman treatment meted out by India to one of the most prominent Kashmiri leaders, who had been leading a peaceful freedom struggle for the last many decades.

SOURCE: AGENCIES/APP