Last Updated on December 30, 2020 at 11:48 am
An investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has found that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Waheed Ur Rehman Parra allegedly paid Rs 10 lakh to terrorist organisation Hizb-ul-Mujahideen to get its support for 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The investigative agency arrested Parra in November this year and is currently in jail.
PDP leader denied all connections with Hizbul in his bail application filed before the NIA special court in Jammu earlier this month and alleged that it was part of the political vendetta. Sources said the money was delivered by Davinder Singh to Hizbul operative Syed Mushtaq Naveed alias Naveed Babu.
It was alleged that the former J&K police officer Davinder received the money at Srinagar airport, where he was posted then, and then carried the money in a tiffin box. Ex-Police officer Davinder Singh was arrested on January 11, 2020. He was travelling in his Hyundai i10 car and was accompanied by Naveed Babu, Hizbul district commander for Shopian and Ganderbal; and Hizbul operative Rafi Ahmed Dar.
Sources alleged that in February 2019, when Naveed Babu and advocate Mir were hiding in a place provided by Davinder Singh in Jammu, Mir called PDP leader over Signal for financial help for Hizbul.
An NIA officer said that for a long time, Mir and Parra have known each other. Mir asked Para Rs 10 lakh for purchasing five AK-47 rifles for Hizbul. Para agreed to provide financial assistance but on a condition that Hizbul would not do anything problematic before the polls, take care of his workers in Pulwama and assist him for polls.
In March that year, Parra is alleged to have sent a man with Rs 10 lakh in an envelope to Srinagar airport from where Davinder Singh sent that money to Naveed Babu.
Investigators also have possession of confessional statements of Mir and Naveed Babu to support their case and recorded statements of independent witnesses who saw the money being delivered to Davinder Singh. Para said in his bail application that NIA has only confessional statements of accused which cannot be treated as evidence.
