The court directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to assess Malik’s financial condition to determine the amount of fine that could be imposed and posted the matter for May 25 to announce the quantum of punishment. New Delhi (TIP)-Yasin Malik, a separatist leader from Jammu and Kashmir, was convicted by a National Investigation Agency court in Delhi on Thursday in a case related to terror funding, news agency PTI said. Special Judge Praveen Singh directed the NIA authorities to assess Malik’s socio-economic situation to determine the amount of fine to be imposed. Malik was also directed to file an affidavit disclosing all sources of his income and assets – movable and immovable. Arguments on the quantum of sentence will be heard on May 25, PTI reported. The court also formally framed charges against other separatist leaders who are accused in the case, including Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate. “The analysis reflects that the statements of witnesses and documentary evidence have connected almost all the accused with each other and to a common object of secession, to the commonality of means they were to use, their close association to terrorist/ terrorist organizations under the guiding hand and funding of Pakistani establishment,” the judge said. During arguments the court noted none of the accused argued that individually they do not have a secessionist ideology or agenda, or that they have not worked for secession or advocated for the secession of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir from Union of India, PTI said.

Earlier, Malik, chief of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), had pleaded guilty to all charges – under sections 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for the terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy to commit terrorist act), and 20 (being member of terrorist gang or organisation) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Malik told the court that he was not contesting the charges against him.

A day before Malik’s conviction Pakistan had summoned India’s Charge d’Affaires to the ministry of foreign affairs and handed over a demarche to him conveying Islamabad’s strong condemnation.