Government to forfeit man’s property for sheltering militants

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 9

Acting tough against the house owner in south Kashmir for harbouring militants, who engaged forces in a 42-hour-long gunfight in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, the J&K Government has decided to forfeit the property of Mushtaq Ahmed Ganai of Hassanpora Arwani.

The J&K Police have already taken up the matter with the revenue authorities and also requested the banks to freeze all his accounts.

A police officer said they had received an input that two-three militants were hiding in Ganai’s house on December 7.

“Mushtaq Ganie is absconding and efforts are on to arrest him. We have requested the banks to freeze all his bank accounts. The matter has also been taken up with the revenue authorities for the forfeiture of all his land and houses, which as per the inputs and preliminary investigations were procured by him from the proceeds of terrorist activities,” the police officer said.

“As per the inputs, Ganie works as an over-ground worker of Lashkar and not only harboured terrorists in his house, but also provide all sort of logistical support to the anti-national elements,” he said. Ganie’s house was razed to ground by security forces during the gunfight.

This is for the first time in recent years that the police have acted tough against persons harbouring militants in Kashmir. In fact, the decision to forfeit the property of the over-ground workers harbouring militants was taken during a high-level meeting.

Observers say the decision was a clear message to the people who usually manage shelters for the militants, especially during winter when most of the militants return to residential areas.

However, people say they were constrained to succumb to militant pressures when they barge into their homes with guns. The militants usually snatch mobile phones of the inmates and hold them hostage till they use the houses as their hideouts.

Meanwhile, two houses had been confiscated in Srinagar since 2001. First a residential house was sealed off under POTA for alleged links of the house owner with militants. Another house belonging to a separatist leader GM Sopori was confiscated in Bagh-e-Mehtab of Srinagar.