New Delhi, Aug 08: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday carried out raids at multiple locations in 14 districts of the Union Territory in connection with a terror funding case.
The raids are being conducted across J&K including Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Anantnag, Budgam, Rajouri, Doda, and Shopian.
The residence of a member of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), Gul Mohammad War is being raided.
The Centre has banned Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir for five years under anti-terror law on grounds that it was "in close touch" with militant outfits and was expected to "escalate secessionist movement" in the state.
There have been allegations in the past that the group was a political outfit of banned terror organisation Hizbul Mujahideen but the group has denied.
The Centre is also of the opinion that the group is "involved in anti-national and subversive activities in the country intended to cause disaffection".
While banning it under the anti-terror law, the Centre reasoned that the group was intending to escalate its subversive activities, including attempt to carve out Islamic state out of the Union of India by destablising the government established law.
The group is also expected to escalate secessionist movement, support militancy and incite violence in the country, the notification said.
The group has been banned for five years. It has to be ratified by a tribunal constituted by the Home Ministry.
The outfit, which was formed in 1945 as a chapter of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and separated in 1953 due to differences over political ideology with the parent body, was banned in 1990.
The previous ban lapsed in 1995 and since then it has never been invoked again.
The Jamaat-e-Islami was an influential founder member of the undivided Hurriyat Conference from its inception in 1993 till 2003, when the amalgam suffered a vertical split led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani over alleged proxy participation in 2002 Assembly polls by some leaders of the People's Conference led by Sajad Gani Lone.
The Jamaat withdrew from the Hurriyat and decided to focus on its social work while maintaining its separatist stand on Kashmir issue.