New Delhi:
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday arrested PDP youth wing President, and party chief Mehbooba Mufti’s close aid, Waheed Parra for his alleged links in a terror cases involving Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Naveed Babu.
“He (Parra) has been charged with supporting Hizbul activities and for his alleged involvement in the case of arrested Hizbul Commander Naveen Babu,” a senior NIA officer told NDTV.
According to the officer, Parra was arrested in Delhi, where he was being questioned at the NIA headquarters since Monday for his alleged involvement with the Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist group.
“During his questioning, we were able to establish his complicity (with Naveed Babu). He would be produced in Delhi for transit remand, and then taken to Jammu,” he added.
Parra was instrumental in the revival of the PDP in south Kashmir, especially in militancy-infested Pulwama, from where he also filed his nomination for the District Development Council (DDC) elections – first phase of which will be held on November 28.
His name surfaced during the probe into the case of suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police Davinder Singh, who was arrested earlier this year while ferrying two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists in a vehicle on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway.
“Today, the NIA arrested Waheed Ur Rehman Parra, the youth wing leader of People’s Democratic Party, in connection with the Naveed Babu-Davinder Singh case for supporting Hizbul Mujahideen in conspiracy with the other accused persons,” NIA spokesperson told NDTV.
His arrest invited sharp remarks from PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who also shared a video of the then Home Minister Rajnath Singh “applauding him for strengthening democracy in J&K” on Twitter.
PDP’s @parawahid applauded by then HM @rajnathsingh for strengthening democracy in J&K has been arrested on baseless charges by NIA today. No coincidence that he filed his nomination for DDC on 20th Nov & received NIA summons next day itself. pic.twitter.com/8aYhHBkKNl
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) November 25, 2020
“Waheed has no connection whatsoever with this man and is being falsely charged. All just to blackmail and intimidate PDP and other mainstream political parties in J&K,” she wrote.