HM chief Salahuddin’s sons were actively involved in terror funding; worked closely with father’s outfit: Sources

New Delhi [India], July 13 (ANI): The sons of Hizbul Mujahideen’s founder Syed Salahuddin– Syed Ahmad Shakeel and Shahid Yusuf– who were recently dismissed from their jobs by Jammu and Kashmir administration, were actively involved in terror funding, sources in law enforcement agencies said.

The sources said all the evidence against the two brothers were in files but due to previous governments in Jammu and Kashmir all facts were suppressed and evidence was buried.

Last week, Jammu and Kashmir administration sacked 11 employees including the sons of Salahuddin for working for various terror groups.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti slammed the dismissal, alleging that the “witch-hunting and criminalisation of dissent” was taking the country back.

“I’m not supporting anyone. You can’t hold a child responsible for the actions of his father unless and until you have proof. These are not 11 people, they’ve sacked 20-25 this year,” said Mufti.

Salahuddin has been designated as a global terrorist by the US Department Of State and on the most wanted terrorist list of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

“Syed Ahmad Shakeel and Shahid Yusuf, sons of Hizbul Mujahideen’s founder Syed Salahuddin were actively involved in terror funding and all the evidence was in files but due to favourable regime, the facts were suppressed and evidence was buried,” the sources said.

Evidence reveals that Syed Ahmad Shakeel, who was a backdoor appointee in Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in 1990s, was found to have facilitated terror funding on at least six occasions.

The second son, Shahid Yusuf, yet another “backdoor appointee” in the agriculture department in 2007, is found to have been involved in terror financing on nine occasions, sources said.

“Shahid Yusuf even visited Dubai on a passport where father name was mentioned as Yousuf Mir instead of Syed Mohd Yusuf. This was in 1999-2000. He was accompanied by Nasir Mir, a Hizbul Mujahideen operative who lives in Dubai. During his visit, Shahid Yousuf met his father Salahuddin. He also met Nazir Ahmaed Qureshi, who is originally from Baramulla but now operates his Hawala syndicate from Saudi Arabia and London and finances terror activities in India,” sources in Law enforcement agencies said.

Sources further revealed that Shahid was receiving money from Aijaz Ahmed Bhat aka Aijaz Maqbool Bhat, a close aide of Salahuddin.

Shahid was using multiple IDs to receive these funds from Aijaz. It is pertinent to mention that Aijaz, active cadre of terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, crossed over to Pakistan in 1990 and is now responsible for collecting and transferring money to terror modules in Union Territory of J&K.

“Aijaz used various addresses from Saudi Arabia to transfer these funds to Shahid through Western Union Money Transfer. Shahid while working as government employee covertly received these funds to hatch terror conspiracy against the country,” sources said.

Sources have also revealed that his brother Syed Ahmad Shakeel another government employee with SKIMS hatched a conspiracy to wage war against the country while working as a government employee and earning his livelihood through the Indian exchequer.

Shakeel was appointed as a Lab technician in 1990. Although, his activities were known it was unravelled only after the NIA took over a terror funding case originally pursued by the Special Cell of Delhi Police.

The Central anti-terror agency probe revealed that Shakeel in 2009-10 received money on six occasions from Aijaz Ahmed Bhat, the same Hizbul terrorist, who was financing his brother Shahid to carry out terror activities.

“Shahid and Shakeel’s modus operandi were quite similar and both used multiple identities to receive terror funds from multiple addresses in Saudi Arabia. Charges were framed against both the sons last year,” sources further added. (ANI)