Questioning of former CM Mehbooba by ED underway in Srinagar
Srinagar, Mar 25: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti is being questioned by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with money laundering case in Srinagar on Thursday.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba arrived at Rajbagh office of ED at 1100 hrs. However, without talking to media persons she immediately entered the ED office where her questioning was underway.
Earlier, heavy security arrangements had been made around the ED office.
Mehbooba, in a letter, had asked the ED to question her in Srinagar or make arrangements for same through video conference as she will not appear before the agency in Delhi.
Earlier, the 61-year-old politician was served a notice to appear at the ED headquarter in the National Capital, New Delhi on March 15 in a case filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Ms Mufti, who described the summoning by ED as political vendetta, approached Delhi court for a stay. However, the a bench of Delhi High Court comprising Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh refused to stay the summons.
The PDP chairman, who is the vice-chairperson of the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), was released last year after more than a year in detention following the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status on August 5, 2019.
The ED, which had earlier summoned Mehbooba for March 15, had not insisted for her personal appearance at that time. Later, she was summoned for March 22.
However, Ms Maufti said she was not informed if she is being summoned as an accused or as a witness. She after receiving ED summons had alleged that Centre’s “tactics to intimidate and browbeat political opponents” won’t work.
“GOI’s tactics to intimidate & browbeat political opponents to make them toe their line has become tediously predictable. They don’t want us to raise questions about its punitive actions & policies. Such short-sighted scheming won’t work,” she wrote on Twitter”.
(UNI)