The timing and the situation choosen by the central government for conduct of raids by National Investigating Agency (NIA) speaks volumes about Delhi intents of harassing and humiliating resistance leaders spearheading the current phase of public uprising in Kashmir valley. Though Modi government is beating drums about its intents of checking alleged flow of funds from Pakistan to the separatist leaders for funding violent protests in Kashmir but Modi government during last three years did not talk about the investigations into the alleged flow of funds to separatist leadership even once. Last Modi government claimed that demonetization blocked the alleged fund flow from Pakistan for stone pelting youth in Kashmir but fact remains that the intensity of the violent public protests did not stop even a year after the cancellation of Rs 500 and Rs1000 old currency notes last year. Now this year the central government has choosen to harass the separatist leadership by sending NIA team for conduct of raids on the residences of some top separatist leaders but so for NIA has failed even to name the accused separatist leaders in the FIR filed by it to probe the allegations of fund flow from Pakistan against them. Lately NIA has claimed the recovery of Rs1.5 crores and some documents from the some locations during raids but full details about the recoveries and names of those from who possession cash and documents have been recovered are yet to be revealed. Keeping in view the release of several separatist leaders arrested on charges of receiving funds from illegal quarters during last two decades of separatist movement in Kashmir the people in Kashmir firmly believe that NIA raids have been conducted with ulterior political motives. While the separatist leadership termed the raids as a “pre-planned psychological crackdown” and said a “well-thought plan to malign and defame our sacred movement”, the frontline mainstream political parties question the intents of the government keeping in view the timing and situation of raids by NIA on residences of top separatist leaders . Even if we look at the NIA raids by the general standards of human understandabilities, the motives of the raids are questionable on many counts and such actions won’t take Modi government any where nearer to reconciliation but will fuel provocation in the coming months in Kashmir .
Unfortunately NIA has taken clues for investigation from the sting operation of a Delhi based New Channel which is known for one sided inflammatory reporting on Kashmir particularly during the times when unstoppable street protests trigger debates on institutional failures and political blunders of the past.
Though people in Kashmir did not pay any heed to the sting operation conducted by a Delhi based news channel but the NIA raids have put to doubt the factuality of the sting operation which showed Nayeem Ahmed Khan and other two separatist leaders saying lot about the motives of fueling unrest in Kashmir last year. Now NIA, but not the separatist leaders is obliged to give explanations on the intents of conducting raids in Kashmir. While the views of the separatist leaders on the conduct of NIA raids are widely endorsed by the people in Kashmir, the NIA won’t find any takers for the investigation theory which this premier investigative agency may sell to ward off public criticism in Kashmir. Unfortunately NIA has taken clues for investigation from the sting operation of a Delhi based New Channel which is known for one sided inflammatory reporting on Kashmir particularly during the times when unstoppable street protests trigger debates on institutional failures and political blunders of the past.
