Mehbooba Mufti's mother appears before ED in Srinagar in money laundering case

Mehbooba Mufti. File Pic

Gulshan Nazir, the mother of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and answered questions in a case related to money laundering even as the PDP alleged that the Centre had "talibanised" and "subverted" all institutions.

Accompanied by Mehbooba, who is also president of the People's Democratic Party, Nazir was quizzed by the ED officials for nearly four hours. Mehbooba was also present during the questioning at the agency's office located in the Civil Lines area here, they said. After the questioning, she tweeted, "In New India, being summoned by agencies like NIA and ED has become a ritual for whoever disagrees with GOI's divisive agenda and policies. In my mother's case, the chronology is quite clear."

"The last time she received a summon was when the PDP boycotted the Delimitation Commission followed by another summon when I staged a peaceful protest on 5th August criticising the illegal abrogation of Article 370," Mehbooba said. She took a dig at a certain section of the media and said "Unfortunately agencies like NIA and ED that should be working on serious cases are weaponised to harass and punish political opponents. GOI has Talibanised and subverted all institutions inc Godi media (sic) to the extent where instead of upholding the truth they peddle their lies".

Nazir, the wife of former union home minister and ex-chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, had earlier been summoned on three occasions, a move which was termed by the PDP as a political vendetta against the party which has been opposing the abrogation of the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The criminal case filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) is linked to the recovery of at least two diaries by the ED after raids on an alleged associate of Mehbooba.

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The diaries contain the details of some purported payments made from the chief minister's discretionary fund in alleged contravention of rules, the officials said.
These funds are alleged to have been diverted during the People's Democratic Party (PDP) rule in the erstwhile state. A few lakh rupees from these funds are alleged to have been transferred into the accounts of Nazir and some others, and the ED wants to question her about it, the officials said.

Veteran politician and CPM leader MY Tarigami also tweeted saying, "Summoning aged wife of former union home minister by ED is a glimpse of coercive tactics employed by the central government to kill dissent."