Yasin Malik Pleads Guilty To Funding Terror In The Valley: A Look At The Facts

Yasin Malik, former president of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Force (JKLF), which was banned by the Narendra Modi government in 2019, has pleaded guilty to all the charges before a Delhi court.

The context: He is an accused under UAPA Sections 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy to commit terrorist act), and 20 (being a member of terrorist gang or organisation) and Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (sedition) of IPC.

Facts of the Case: Malik was arrested in 2019 in a case related to the funding of terror and separatist activities in Kashmir Valley.

• In March 2019, the NIA registered an FIR against the separatist leader for raising, receiving and collecting funds through various illegal means, including hawala transactions, for funding separatist and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir and for causing disruption in the valley by way of pelting stones on the security forces, burning schools, damaging public property and waging war against India.

• In its investigation report, NIA had accused Malik of receiving money through Kashmir-based hawala operators to fuel unrest in the valley. The funds would come from Pakistan, including terror groups such as the LeT.

• In March 2022, the court framed charges against Malik along with Shabir Shah, Rashid Engineer, Altaf Fantoosh, Masrat and Hurriyat/Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) for being direct recipients of terror funds.

A Major Fall for Malik: Pre-2014, Malik was being projected as the messiah of peace and even termed a ‘Youth Icon’ by a major publication.

• He was seen as an important stakeholder in the establishment of peace in J&K among the top brass in Delhi’s power circles.

• It was despite that fact that he had openly admitted to the killing of Kashmiri Hindus and four unarmed IAF officers.

• After his arrest, in 2019, former CM of J&K, Farooq Abdullah hailed the terrorist for “choosing death over bowing before New Delhi”.

Bottom line: Malik pleading guilty to all the charges levelled against him by NIA leaves his sympathisers in a precarious situation. For decades, he enjoyed Indian hospitality to the hilt. With a change in regime in 2014, once a dreaded terrorist and a much-celebrated separatist leader would finally be facing the music for his sins.