In yet another major success for NIA in the valley, a Delhi court has sent separatist leader Asiya Andrabi, along with two of her associates to 10 days of custody. Asiya Andrabi is the leader of all-women banned outfit Dukhtaraan-e-Millat (DeM). NIA which is probing her for anti-India activities, had arrested Asiya Andrabi in Srinagar and brought her to Delhi.
A case had been registered against the separatist leader in April for propagating violence in the valley, seeking secession of Kashmir through hateful speeches, sedition, waging war against India and criminal conspiracy. She was also charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. The FIR went on to state that the Central government had received information that Asiya Andrabi, along with her associates, was running a terrorist organisation called Dukhtaraan-e-Millat (DeM) which is proscribed under the first schedule of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Section 2 (1) (m) of the Act defines “terrorist organisation” as an organisation listed in the schedule or an organisation operating under the same name as the listed organisation. Therefore, it is clear that Dukhtaraan-e-Millat has been listed as a terrorist organisation by the government.
The FIR went on to state: “They are using various media platforms for spreading insurrectionary imputations that endanger the integrity, security and sovereignty of India. DeM openly advocates the secessionism of Jammu & Kashmir from India and has also called for jihad and use of violence.” Andrabi has also solicited help from proscribed terror organisations and along with her associates, had entered into a criminal conspiracy to wage war against India. NIA has also stated that Andrabi and her associates have “written and spoken words and published visible representations that excite disaffection towards the Government of India and promote enmity, hatred and ill-will between different communities on the grounds of religion”.
This seems to have dealt a telling blow to the terror and separatist elements in Kashmir. In what goes on to show how the separatists are horrified by Asiya Andrabi’s arrest, the joint resistance leadership of separatists called for a bandh in the valley in order to protest against NIA action. A spokesman of the resistance leadership made distasteful insinuations about the NIA and called it the “worst form of political vengeance and vendetta against the resistance leadership”. He also went on to claim the Asiya is suffering from several ailments and that it was undemocratic to shift her to Delhi. In the light of this bandh and these remarks, it is clear that separatists and Jihadi elements in the valley are scared to their guts, after one of their ilk was booked for her misdeeds.
Under the Modi government, NIA has constantly followed the strategy of taking the separatists head on and leaving them gasping for breath. In June last year, a number of raids had been conducted by the NIA targeting the separatists which led to the recovery of terror funds, property-related documents and incriminating materials such as letterheads of banned terror outfits like LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen. The Pakistani-separatist link has also been firmly established. It seems that the NIA has decided to continue treading on this path of targeting those who abet violence in the valley. It is clear that while the army continues to hunt terrorists on the ground, NIA is targeting masterminds and key strategists active in the valley. This two-pronged attack has given no breathing space to the vicious elements and it seems that the valley is not going to remain on the boil for too long now.