NIA court attaches US-based separatist Dr Fai’s property in J&K’s Budgam

Nearly eight months after being declared a proclaimed offender, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district has ordered the attachment of the immovable property of US-based Kashmiri separatist Ghulam Nabi Shah alias Dr Fai under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

According to the order, the court directed the District Collector, Budgam, to take immediate possession of land belonging to the accused in Wadwan and Chattabugh villages. The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Budgam, has been asked to provide necessary assistance to ensure the execution of the order.

The attachment was ordered in connection with FIR No. 46 of 2020, registered at Police Station Budgam under Sections 10, 13, and 39 of the UAPA. The court passed the order after the accused repeatedly failed to appear before the investigating agency despite the issuance of proclamation notices.

Declared proclaimed offender

It is pertinent to mention that Dr Fai was declared a proclaimed offender on April 26 this year by the Special Judge, NIA Court, Budgam. A resident of Wadwan village in Budgam, Dr Fai is presently residing in the United States of America.

Despite the issuance of arrest warrants, he persistently evaded arrest, thereby obstructing the legal process. He was declared a proclaimed offender under the UAPA, 1967, after failing to appear before the court in a terror-related case, even after repeated notices. The court had earlier directed him to surrender before the Jammu and Kashmir Police within 30 days from the date of the proclamation.

Who is Ghulam Nabi Fai?

Ghulam Nabi Fai, the founder of the Washington-based Kashmir American Council (KAC), originally hails from Wadwan village in Budgam district. He migrated out of India in the early 1980s to pursue higher studies and became a US citizen in 1990.

Investigating agencies have stated that the Kashmir American Council is backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and has been used to propagate Pakistan’s narrative on Kashmir at international forums.

According to police records, Fai is currently concealing himself in the United States, continuously evading arrest and obstructing the course of justice. The case against him was registered under Sections 10, 13, and 39 of the UAPA, which deal with membership of an unlawful association, punishment for unlawful activities, and providing support to a terrorist organisation.

The 77-year-old Fai is also the Secretary General of the Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum and Chairman of the World Forum for Peace & Justice.

Crackdown on Fai’s network

On November 10 this year, Budgam Police, as part of sustained efforts to dismantle separatist networks and Pakistan-backed terror ecosystems, conducted a major crackdown on Fai’s network. Multiple search operations were carried out at various locations linked to his associates to disrupt and neutralise his support structure.

Officials said the action was aimed at choking the financial, logistical, and ideological support extended by the accused to separatist and terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir.