Can Kashmiri separatist Shabir Shah chant 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', asks ED lawyer

The Delhi's Patiala House court extended the ED remand of the separatist leader for further six days.

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday submitted application before a Delhi Court for further remand of Kashmiri Separatist leader and Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) chairman Shabir Shah in connection with the terror funding case.

Shabir was presented before the Delhi court on Thursday.

In its remand application, ED claimed that Shabir is in continuous contact with anti national elements/ terrorists residing in Pakistan in garb of the Kashmir issue.

"Contacts from his mobile phone revealed that he is in regular touch with Pakistan, Dubai and England and that the same needs to be examined," ED told court today.

During the hearing, the court today witnessed a tensed scene when an ED lawyer asked if Shabir can chant 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. This came after the separatist leader filed an application alleging inhuman behaviour and threat to his life by ED officials and asserted that he was forced to sign statements and blank documents. 

After this, the bench intervened and asked both sides to not convert the court into a TV studio. 

The court extended the ED remand of the separatist leader for further six days. 

Earlier, Shah's remand was extended for a day on August 2, in connection with a terror funding case. On July 26, Shah was produced in the Patiala House Court, following which he was sent to a seven-day ED custody.

On July 25, Shah was arrested from his residence, where he was under house detention for a very long time, in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been tough on Separatists regarding the alleged funding by Pakistan for illegal activities in Kashmir.

On July 24, the NIA arrested seven separatists over money laundering charges, for funding terror in the Kashmir Valley.

All seven separatist leaders - Altaf Shah, Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Mehraj Kalwal, Shahid-ul-Islam, Naeem Khan and Bitta Karate - were later sent to 10-day NIA custody.

The accused have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The NIA visited Srinagar in May to probe the alleged funding by Pakistan for illegal activities in Kashmir, and questioned several separatist leaders on the issue of raising, collecting and transferring 

funds via the Hawala route and other channels to fund terror activities in Kashmir.

The NIA sleuths specifically questioned separatist leaders Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate and Gazi Javed Baba at that time.

The NIA is said to be probing all aspects of funding to separatist leaders and how they reportedly used these funds to fuel unrest in the Kashmir Valley.