Author: Rajesh Kumar
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: February 21, 2001
Kashmiri militants never leave their
"fellow jehadis" in the lurch. Finances are never a problem
when it comes to their legal battles in various courts here.
And their well-oiled machinery ensures that their lawyers don't ditch them
midway.
The payments made to these lawyers
are hefty and through various clandestine (and ever-changing) routes.
There are various Kashmiri groups
whose cadres are embroiled in legal cases here. Prominent among
them are: the Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front, Lashkar-e Toiba, Ikhwan-ul-Musalmeen,
Hizbul Mujahideen, Al Badr, Jamait-ul-Mujahideen and Harkat-ul-Ansar.
The groups faithfully monitor the
cases lodged against their faithfuls. Hefty legal fees and
the "mandatory warnings" ensure that their comrades are released "by hook
or crook," as a source put it.
The Pioneer had reported early this
week the appointment of one Mohammed Maqbool Nawab as the Delhi unit commander
of the Lashkar-e-Toiba. He was specifically asked to secure
bail for his fellow jehadis and generate funds.
Sources say, the militant groups
have devised ingenious techniques to sustain their network.
The arrangement ensures that the lawyers conduct their business in a carefree
manner. "The militant groups have code numbers and fax numbers
which, as a rule, change after each hearing. Whenever we require
our fee, we fax our code and name to the person at the other end.
If the same document is faxed back to us without any other remark, it means
that the funds won't be a problem," confided a lawyer handling several
cases of J&K militants lodged in Tihar.
"Many a time, money is delivered
by their family members and sometimes by unidentified persons.
And yes, no new currency notes. They are probably aware of
the fake-currency note scare here," said the lawyer.
Another lawyer handling such cases
claimed that several such "fund outlets" are located in the Lajpat Nagar,
Nizamuddin, Chandni Chowk and Jama Masjid areas.
Another seasoned lawyer claimed
that his payments were routed through the Mumbai route.
Another lawyer who had appeared
in several hearings for Romesh Sharma, an associate of underworld don Dawood
Ibrahim, said: "A day before hearing, I received a telephone call from
abroad and I was told to secure bail at any cost, and the very next morning
a person rang me from Mumbai that Romesh Sharma should not be out from
jail at any cost." The concerned court ultimately rejected his application.
A young lawyer who has appeared
for an accused in the four-year-old hijacking case, got his fee through
a leading businessman in London. "I do not understand till
today, what was his interest in the case" said the lawyer, requesting anonymity.