Srinagar Court Refuses To Permit PDP Leader Waheed Para To Travel Abroad For Pursuing YALE Peace Fellowship

A Court in Srinagar has refused to permit Peoples Democratic Party Leader Waheed ur Rehman Para to travel to the United States for the YALE Peace Fellowship from September to November this year. The order is likely to be challenged before the High Court in Srinagar by Para, sources said.

Special NIA Court, while rejecting Para’s application, said charges have been framed against him for offences under Sections 13, 17, 18, 38, 39, 40 of UAPA and under Sections 120-B, 121, 121-A, 124-A of IPC which are very grievous and punishable with death and imprisonment for life.

“The allegations against the applicant are that he is having close links with foreign and local terrorists as well as that he is funding, aiding and supporting terrorist activities/terrorist organizations. It is pertinent to mention here that Investigating Agency has already taken up the matter with Ministry of Home Affairs Govt. of India and a formal request for assistance (MLAT) has been forwarded to the USA. One cannot lose sight of the fact that the applicant has filed this application seeking permission to go to that country only i.e. the USA for pursuing Peace Fellowship 2023 to which MLAT request has been forwarded,” ASJ Sandeep Gandotra said in the order dated May 31.

The court further said that not only the trial of the case will get hampered which is at evidence stage but there are “genuine apprehensions” of Para fleeing from the country and him trying to disrupt the collection of evidence in the USA for which MLAT request has been sent through Govt. of India.

While granting bail to the PDP leader last year, the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court as a condition had asked Para to seek the permission of trial court before leaving the UT. Para told the court that he has been selected as Inaugural Peace Fellow of the prestigious YALE Peace Fellowship, 2023, at YALE University’s International Leadership Center in the US,

He sought directions for release of his passport as also issuance of directions granting permission to him to leave the territorial limits of UT of J&K and to visit the US from September 2023 till ending November 2023

However, the prosecution opposed the application saying that besides fleeing from the country there are genuine apprehensions of Para “availing the services of anti-India entities within Diaspora to influence SIA’s MLAT request to ‘evidence holding parties’ such Google, to frustrate the investigation efforts.”

It also claimed that Para would have concealed the fact from Yale that he is facing the terror charges in several other cases pending trial before the court of law.

“Under the UN Convention the applicant/accused was duty bound to make such declaration to the University of (YALE). The essence of Peace Fellowship Program at the University of (YALE) is in contrast and antithetical to the activities of the accused. The fellowship is a mere means which has been managed by the applicant primarily to impede and disrupt the ongoing lawful ‘further investigation’ and also to derail the proper trial of the case; that the charges against the applicant accused are not only serious but multifarious also,” the investigating agency said.

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