The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached seven properties worth Rs 1.56 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in Srinagar.

An official quoted by the local news agency KNO said that ED Srinagar has provisionally attached seven immovable properties worth Rs. 1.56 crore of Imran Baba and Sageena Yaseen, partners of M/S Baba Enterprises under the provisions of the PMLA, 2002.

He said that the immovable properties include 17 Marlas land in Mouja Barinambal, 26 Marlas land and a residential house in Hyderpora.

SRINAGAR — Congress on Monday staged strong protest demonstrations against 'tax terrorism' unleashed against the principal opposition (INC) by the IT Department, terming the move politically motivated and fabricated aiming to stop INC from campaigning after the BJP sensed defeat before the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

The leaders and workers raised slogans against 'tax terrorism' by the IT Department against INC and termed it a deliberate move to stop the Congress party from campaigning during the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. They also displayed play cards demonstrating their anger against the coercion, and vendetta politics against the opposition, especially Congress and leaders of the INDIA alliance.

They said BJP has sensed defeat before the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. As a result, various agencies, especially ED and IT, have been deputed to threaten and stop the Opposition from campaigning under the garb of 'tax terrorism' and various other undemocratic measures the BJP is adopting out of fear and frustration, but the Congress said it won’t stop and it will continue fighting against BJP’s autocracy and will defeat it (BJP) in the elections.

Speaking on the sidelines of the protest, Congress leaders blamed the BJP for vitiating the political atmosphere in the country for the lust of power, but the Congress is strong enough to defeat the war against democracy, adding that the BJP has deputed agencies to strangulate the strong and genuine voices, but that will not stop its (BJP’s) defeat in the elections.

They further said that freezing accounts and imposing huge taxes won’t deter the Congress party from fighting and campaigning against the BJP’s wrong policies. BJP could not digest the strength and popularity Congress party is enjoying given the people’s love and affection. As a result, it (BJP) is desperate enough while having realized that the day is not far when it (BJP) will be out of power, they said.

JKPCC General Secretaries Waseem Ahmad Shalla, Irfan Naqashbandi, and DCC Srinagar President Imtiyaz Khan led the protest while other senior leaders including frontal organizations also participated.

Later, JKPCC Senior Vice President Mohammad Anwar Bhat also joined the protest and briefed the media about the BJP’s coercion, diversionary tactics and vendetta politics unleashed against the opposition.

SRINAGAR — Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, voiced concerns over the state of democracy in India following the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Abdullah, the vice president of the National Conference highlighted a pattern of arbitrary detentions targeting opposition figures, citing recent arrests of leaders from various states.

He said that the arrest of Kejriwal comes on the heels of similar actions against prominent opposition figures, including the sitting Chief Minister of Jharkhand and his Deputy in previous instances.

"Some weeks ago, the sitting CM of Jharkhand was also arrested. His Deputy even also last year. The democratic institutions of the country are gradually being eroded. We have seen new democracy in the country from last five to six years," he said.

Abdullah warned that these incidents reflect a troubling trend of diminishing democratic institutions in the country over the past five to six years.

SRINAGAR — President of the J&K National Conference (JKNC) and Member of Parliament, Dr Farooq Abdullah, emphasized the importance of a stable Pakistan for the entire Indian subcontinent during a press conference in Srinagar on Thursday.

In remarks reported by a local news agency, Dr Abdullah highlighted the significance of Pakistan's stability for India's overall well-being. "Stable Pakistan is good for the whole of India and unstable Pakistan is not good for us," he asserted, addressing a query from a reporter.

Additionally, Dr Abdullah urged the Central government to exercise wisdom in addressing the ongoing farmers' demand for a guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) to prevent further loss of lives.

Addressing electoral matters, Dr Abdullah ruled out the possibility of pre-poll alliances for the National Conference ahead of Parliamentary elections. "NC won't go for pre-poll alliance ahead of Parliamentary elections," he affirmed during the interaction with media persons in Srinagar.

Expressing optimism, Dr Abdullah hoped that both Parliamentary and Assembly elections might be conducted simultaneously.

Regarding summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), he maintained NC's firm stance, asserting that the party would not succumb to tactics. "If they think NC will finish with the arrest of Dr Farooq Abdullah, then they are wrong. I am going to appear before ED soon," he stated.

Dr Abdullah, who recently performed Umrah, shared that he prayed for peace and tranquillity in Jammu and Kashmir during his pilgrimage. "I prayed for peace and tranquillity for Jammu and Kashmir. I also prayed that may our neighbour understand the importance of peace as it is inevitable to live a peaceful life," he added.

SRINAGAR — Three individuals were arrested in Kashmir on Tuesday in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged 'terror financing' and facilitation of student admissions in Pakistani universities, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said.

Mohammed Akabar Bhat, Fatima Shah, and Sabzzar Ahmad Shaikh were arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for their involvement with Pakistani handlers Manzoor Ahmad Shah and Altaf Ahmad Bhat, according to the ED.

The agency alleges that the handlers arranged admissions in MBBS and other courses at Pakistani colleges for students from Jammu and Kashmir.

The arrested individuals were remanded to ED custody until February 20th by the Special Judge ACB (CBI-Cases) Kashmir Court in Srinagar.

SRINAGAR — National Conference President and former Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, has once again failed to appear at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Srinagar, marking the second instance within a month.

Sources disclosed that despite being summoned by the department, Abdullah did not attend the scheduled questioning session at the ED office.

The Enforcement Directorate had called the NC president for interrogation regarding alleged financial irregularities within the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) on Monday evening.

This absence follows a similar incident on January 11, 2024, when Abdullah was also summoned but did not attend.

In 2022, a chargesheet was filed against Farooq Abdullah in connection with a money laundering case related to alleged financial irregularities in the JKCA.

The Enforcement Directorate, responsible for filing the chargesheet, has previously interrogated Abdullah multiple times. Additionally, the three-time chief minister had recorded his statement in the same case back in 2019.

SRINAGAR — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Dr Farooq Abdullah, the president of the National Conference and former Chief Minister, for questioning regarding purported financial irregularities within the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA).

According to reliable sources quoted by a local news agency, the summon instructed Abdullah to appear at the ED office in Srinagar tomorrow.

This summon comes in the wake of a chargesheet filed in 2022 against Farooq Abdullah in a money laundering case linked to alleged financial discrepancies within the JKCA.

Abdullah has been previously questioned by the Enforcement Directorate multiple times, with the agency having recorded his statement in connection to the case as far back as 2019.

SRINAGAR — Central investigation agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) has raided at least six locations in Jammu and Kashmir in connection with a 'money laundering case'.

An official said that the investigation agency has been conducting searches in both Jammu and Kashmir parts in a case related to fraud in Jammu & Kashmir Bank.

The fraud, the official said, amounts to ₹250 crore and involves a fictitious society.

It appears that India's tech promise to rival China isn't going according to plan, and it has been labelled by some as a complete shambles. One of the main roots of the issue of why everything has fallen apart lies in India's startup ecosystem, where many faults are to blame.

Take a closer look right here at where and when it all started going wrong for India.

Why is India's tech promise to rival China collapsing?

India's promise to create web-based companies to rival some of China's biggest companies, like Tencent and Alibaba, has not gone according to the plan. To begin with, the initiative attracted several major global investments from Tiger Global and SoftBank, and money was flooding in.

According to reports released by Venture Tracker (an Indian data tracker), $4 billion was put into the program, comprising around 300 separate contracts, but it has all had very little effect.

The entire startup ecosystem in India is now facing difficult questions on things like expensive acquisitions, financial accountability and discipline, rash valuations, and whether investors overvalued India's total addressable market (aka TAM).

People losing their jobs has sky-rocketed in the past few months, and public listings have been delayed. Operations have been scaled back, and hardly any new startup backing funds are available to take the tech promise to the next level.

The Enforcement Directorate (the crime-fighting task force in India) even raided one of the BYJU's in Bengaluru buildings after they were suspected of breaking the rules set out by the Foreign Exchange Management Act. In the raid, incriminating documents are said to have been seized.

Are other tech industries, like the online casino industry, affected?

Today's best iGaming companies that operate in India are not licensed by the Indian government, and they are controlled by foreign companies who operate from outside of Indian borders, so they have not been affected, and business continues to grow for these companies.

If you want to see some of the latest tech developments from the iGaming industry and enjoy the best online casinos India has to offer in 2023, go to the official AskGamblers.com website for a complete list of sites that welcome people based in India.

They are controlled by some of the most trusted names from the iGaming industry, and they are packed with over 1,000 games from several of the industry's most innovative providers.

What have been some of India's biggest technological achievements?

Since India won its independence in 1947, the nation has made several major technological contributions. In 1950, India's Planning Commission established a clear five-year plan to develop key areas within the country, such as infrastructure, education, science, and agriculture.

Heavy investment was also put into scientific and industrial research. They also had the Green Revolution, which mainly focused on agricultural research.

Other milestones in India's achievements include contributions to DNA fingerprinting, the Chandrayaan-I mission to the moon, creating a Polio-free India, and developing Aryabhatta – India's first satellite that was put into space in 1975.

They also developed their first strategic missile – ASNI, in 1989. The country also embarked on its first-ever interplanetary mission in 2023 with the launch of MOM (Mars Orbiter Mission, which is also known as Mangalyaan).

Will India bounce back from the recent setbacks and continue pushing forward with startups?

Based on India's rich history of not wanting to fall behind in terms of its scientific and technological capabilities, the nation will no doubt continue to innovate in whichever way it can.

Despite the recent setbacks and the initial vision not going according to the plan, we will likely see more startups continue to pop up over the coming decade. The country remains one of the largest in the world for startup ecosystems.

At the time of writing, the 10 major sectors that have the best startup ecosystems are the following:

• Green technology
• Agriculture
• IT services
• Technology hardware
• Food & beverages
• Finance technology
• Professional and commercial services
• Education
• Healthcare & life sciences

India's unyielding pursuit for global recognition: A technological revolution in the making

India will always strive to seek global recognition. They are constantly looking for new ways to innovate and will steadily push forward and continue to develop all these major sectors.

They have a thriving younger population who are skilled in many areas and keen to take the country forward on the global stage. We must closely monitor the situation to see how India's technological revolution will progress over the coming decade.

They may have fallen behind on their promise to rival China, but they will surely bounce back and demonstrate to the world how serious they are about competing with other major global powerhouses, just like they always have done.

SRINAGAR — Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the houses of separatist leaders like Zafar Akbar Bhat, Qazi Yair and others in connection with the medical seats scandal.

Sources said that the ED raided multiple places across the Valley in a case related to selling MBBS seats to Kashmiri students in Pakistan and using the money to allegedly support and fund militancy.

Sources added that ED with the help of police and para-military troopers raided the house of Bhat in Bagh-e-Mehtab and searched his house. Sources said that during the search operation, some books, electronic gadgets and files were confiscated.

A similar raid was conducted in the house of south Kashmir Mirwaiz Qazi Yasir.

Reports said another ED team raided the house of one Syed Khalid Geelani in the uptown Baghat area of Srinagar.

Sources said the raids were conducted in connection with the case of allotting MBBS seats to J&K residents in different colleges in Pakistan.

SRINAGAR — The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has provisionally attached an immovable property of jailed separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah in Sanat Nagar area of Srinagar.

In a statement issued to the news agency KNO, the ED said it has provisionally attached an immovable property situated at Botshah Colony, Sanat Nagar, Srinagar of a value of Rs 21.80 lakhs in the name of Shabir Ahmad Shah son of Ghulam Mohd Shah under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

“ED initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR dated 30.05.2017 against Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and others under various sections of IPC and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967,” reads the statement.

According to the ED, during the course of the investigation, it was revealed that Shabir Ahmad Shah was actively involved in the activities of fuelling unrest in Kashmir valley by way of stone pelting, processions, protests, bandhs, hartals, and other subversive activities.

“Further, investigation under PMLA revealed that Shabir Ahmad Shah was involved in receiving funds from terrorist organization Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and other terrorist outfits based in Pakistan as well as from the Pakistani establishment through Hawala and various other means and channels, and these funds were then being used for fuelling and supporting militant activities in the Kashmir valley,” it said.

The ED further said that an immovable property worth Rs 21.80 lakhs owned in the name of Shabir Ahmad Shah was identified and the same has been provisionally attached under PMLA. “Further investigation in the case is under progress,” the agency said.

SRINAGAR — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted searches at 44 places across the country including the summer capital Srinagar in a money-laundering investigation against Chinese smartphone manufacturing company Vivo and related firms, officials said.

According to news agency Kashmir Dot Com, searches were conducted by the Central probing agency in the under-construction residential house of Dr Mohammad Iqbal Mir son of Habibullah Mir, a resident of Madin Sahib Hawal of Lal-Bazar area, presently residing at Rajbagh. Iqbal Mir (BUMS Degree holder) has a dealership of Vivo phones.

Another team along with local police conducted searches in the house of Basharat Khan son of Zareef Din Khan, a resident of Balgarden. After searching, the same team raided his shop namely Micromax Shop near City Plaza in Karan Nagar. Khan is said to be the distributor of Chinese mobiles in Kashmir.

During the searches on Tuesday, various incriminating documents were seized from the premises of the ‘suspects’, sources said, adding that further investigation of the case is going on.

The Central agency filed a money laundering case after taking cognisance of a recent Delhi Police (economic offences wing) FIR against a distributor of the agency based in Jammu and Kashmir where it was alleged that a few Chinese shareholders in that company forged their identity documents.

The ED suspects this alleged forgery was done to launder illegally generated funds using shell or paper companies and some of these "proceeds of crime" were diverted abroad or put in some other businesses by skirting Indian tax and enforcement agencies.

SRINAGAR — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has served a notice to the Member Parliament and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah in connection with a case, sources said.

They told news agency Kashmir Dot Com that the summon served to Farooq Abdullah, who is in his late eighties, has asked him to appear before the ED's Srinagar office on May 31.

“Enforcement Directorate will question Abdullah in connection with the alleged misappropriation of Rs 94.06 crore when he was the chairman of J&K Cricket Association,” they said.

Earlier, in October 2020, Farooq Abdullah, Member of Parliament from central Kashmir and President National Conference was summoned twice by the financial probing agency in the alleged Cricket Association scam.

SRINAGAR — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday questioned former Chief Minister and Vice President of National Conference, Omar Abdullah, for many hours in a case registered at probing agency headquarter in New Delhi, official sources said.

Sources told Srinagar based news agency Kashmir Dot Com (KDC) that Omar Abdullah is being questioned by the probing agency at its headquarters in the J&K Bank scam case.

"Nihal Garware, Mumbai based the then Director of Bank who was arrested recently in 2010 ‘bank scam case’ is also under probe for receiving kickbacks when Bank purchased some property in Mumbai," sources in ED told KDC.

Omar was formerly summoned by the probing agency ED and was asked to visit its office today for questioning in New Delhi.