Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Former Chief Minister and President of People's Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti lambasted the government on Tuesday while expressing solidarity with journalist Irfan Mehraj. Mehraj was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for his alleged links with terror funding.
"While Gujarati conman (Kiran Bhai Patel) was provided Z Plus security and official protocol by the administration in Kashmir, journalists like Irfan Mehraj have been paying the price for speaking the truth. Draconian law such as UAPA is constantly misused to ensure that the process itself becomes the punishment," she tweeted.
Patel had recently been detained by law enforcement agencies from a five-star hotel in Srinagar after he was found impersonating an Additional Director (Strategy and Campaigns) in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). He had been able to secure Z-plus security. He also spoke with senior authorities in the Union Territories and toured sensitive locations in Kashmir such as the Line of Control (LoC).
Irfan currently works as an editor at TwoCircles.net. He founded Wande Magazine, an online media outlet, and serves as its founding editor. In addition, he has experience working with foreign media outlets, including TRT, Deutsche Welle, and Al Jazeera. Besides, Irfan has contributed to regional periodicals. Also, he served as the daily newspapers 'Rising Kashmir' and 'Brighter Kashmir' as sub-editor. Moreover, 'Himal Magazine' and 'The Caravan' have published his reports. He was also employed by the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civic Societies as a researcher (JKCCS).
Also read: JK govt to take action against officers involved in providing protocol to Gujarati conman: JK police
Interestingly, Irfan has been interrogated by the NIA numerous times during the last two years. In 2020, his electronic devices were seized. According to the NIA, Irfan was a close associate of Khuram Parvez and was working with his organisation, the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Societies (JKCCS).
Besides, the NIA claimed that "JKCCS was funding terror activities in the Valley and also propagating a secessionist agenda in the Valley under the garb of protection of human rights." Additionally, it stated that the “Involvement of some Valley-based NGOs, Trusts, and Societies in terror funding is being probed in the case. Some NGOs, both registered as well as unregistered, were found collecting funds domestically and abroad under the garb of doing charity and various welfare activities, including public health and education. But some of these organisations have developed links with proscribed terrorist outfits, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM).”
