NC president Farooq Abdullah skips ED appearance

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah did not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday for questioning in a money laundering case, official sources said.

The 86-year-old politician was called by the central agency at its Srinagar office in connection with an ED investigation into alleged irregularities in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA).

"I am not going today," Abdullah told PTI over the phone from his residence. He did not give any reasons before hanging up.

It was not immediately known if the agency issued him a fresh date.

The MP from Srinagar Lok Sabha seat was charge-sheeted by the ED in the JKCA case in 2022.

The case relates to siphoning off the funds of the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association by way of transfer to various personal bank accounts of unrelated parties, including those of JKCA office bearers, and by way of unexplained cash withdrawals from JKCA bank accounts, the ED had said.

The agency's case is based on a 2018 charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the same accused.