Days after the Centre’s ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu & Kashmir that owes affiliation to Pakistan’s JeI, the authorities have begun sealing several properties belonging to the outfit and freezing certain bank accounts of the leaders. The estimates suggest the JeI has assets worth over Rs 4,500 crore in the State.
The JeI has been banned on grounds that it was “in close touch” with terrorist groups and was likely to “escalate secessionist movement”. It is also suspected to be linked to Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Tayyeba.
The outfit has close connections with the JeI, Pakistan, and is not in any way connected to the JeI in the rest of the country, officials said.
Several properties, including residential houses, owned by various leaders and activists of the banned outfit were sealed in many areas of the Srinagar and elsewhere in Kashmir on Friday night, sources said.
Bank accounts of a number of JeI leaders have also been frozen.
Searches were also conducted by the Income Tax Department even as the district magistrates have been asked to seek a list of moveable and immovable properties of the Jamaat leaders, the sources further said.
The NIA is separately probing a money laundering case against secessionist leaders in the Valley and is likely to probe the role of the Jamaat leaders.
The Centre on Thursday banned JeI Jammu & Kashmir for five years under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act following apprehension that it can escalate subversive activities and attempt to carve out an Islamic state out of the territory of India.
The ban follows a massive crackdown on the secessionist outfit in the Valley since last week wherein about 150 leaders and activists of the group have been detained in raids at several places across Kashmir.
The Jamaat was responsible for the creation of the terrorist group Hizbul Mujahideen and the brain behind the formation of Hurriyat Conference.
Former J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday termed the ban as an act of “vengeance”, claiming JeI was a social and political organisation. She expressed apprehension that the move would have “dangerous consequences”.
