A special NIA court in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday ordered the attachment of land belonging to US-based Kashmiri separatist ideologue Ghulam Nabi Fai, seen as part of a crackdown to tighten the noose on separatists in and outside the country.
Fai, 76, from Wadwan village in Budgam, is a Kashmiri lobbyist active in the US for decades.
NIA special judge Yahaya Firdous authorised the seizure of over 1.5 kanals (one kanal is 5,440sqft) of land across two villages in Wadwan and Chattabugh.
The court directed the Budgam district collector to take possession of the property “forthwith” with the assistance of revenue and police authorities.
In May, the NIA court in Budgam declared Fai a proclaimed offender. The case against him was registered in 2020 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
Budgam police had said he was evading arrest despite warrants, obstructing the legal process and avoiding accountability under the law.
The court had directed Fai to surrender before the Jammu and Kashmir police within 30 days from the date of the proclamation. A seven-page order said the court was satisfied that Fai had “deliberately and intentionally concealed himself”.
