SIT to probe Fai's activities in J&K

The Jammu and Kashmir government will constitute a Special Investigation Team of police to probe alleged anti-national activities of Kashmiri separatist Ghulam Nabi Fai and others in the state, which could lead to possible issuance of Red Corner notices against them.

"We are constituting a SIT under Senior Superintendent of Police, Budgam, to carry forward cases of those including Fai who figured in various anti-national crimes -- anti-national cases or activities connected with our state," Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda told reporters in Jammu.

Asked if any case was pending against Fai and Pakistan-based terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed in Jammu and Kashmir and the action to be taken against them, he said, "These cases will be carried forward and investigated to reach to their logical conclusion."

"The investigation will include issuance of Red Corner notices and other steps which are required to be taken in this regard", Khoda said.

On whether the SIT would deal with the issue of Fai and his activities in Jammu and Kashmir, the DGP said, "(It is meant for) Fai and other associates who will figure during the course of scrutiny of records of various international activities which have taken place."

"We have to sum up these operatives who are connected in the situation in J&K. We have to carry forward cases of these people," he said, adding "these people have figured prominently over the years in the cases whether it is Hafiz Saeed, Syed Sallauddin and Ghulam Nabi Fai and others."

"We have also found that there are certain activities of theirs in the past which required to be further probed into -- including Fai's", the police chief said.

Sixty-two-year-old Fai was last month sentenced to two years of imprisonment by a US court for "conspiracy to defraud the US" by concealing transfer of at least $ 3.5 million from Pakistan's ISI to fund his illegal lobbying efforts on Kashmir.

Fai was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on July 19 last year and had subsequently pleaded guilty before the court to the charges of being a paid agent of the Inter-Services Intelligence.

Asked if the government will take action against those people in Jammu and Kashmir who wrote in support of Fai to the US court, the DGP said, "We have certain records available which indicate his (Fai's) anti-national activities in the past before he disappeared from here in the early 80s".

He said, "During the course of investigation, SIT will find out whatever action is to be taken under laws that will be taken -- we cannot pre-decide these issues -- as to who has what role.

"We have to see who is culpable and who is not culpable -- all this is based on the evidence which comes forward -- which comes to notice during the investigation-- scrutiny of records and also understanding the legal implications of those actions," Khoda said, adding, "I will not bind them (SIT) with any sorts of any dos and don'ts -- let us see how it proceeds."