Asiya Andrabi, the Kashmiri separatist who was recently brought to the Delhi headquarters of the National Investigation Agency, is close to Lashkar-e-Tailba chief Hafiz Saeed and he is known to consider her his sister.
But who exactly is Andrabi?
The 56-year-old is the chief of the banned Dukhtaran-E-Milat (daughters of the nation) and she is accused of being a key motivator of the students’ protests in Kashmir valley following the death of Burhan Wani in 2016.
Andrabi is married to Ashiq Hussain Faktoo, a Hizbul Mujahideen leader who is currently in jail. She has two sons. Her eldest is pursuing MTech in Melbourne and the second is a student at an Islamic university in Malaysia.
Andrabi is openly affiliated with Hafiz’s Lashkar and in 2015 she addressed a rally organised by Hafiz. In her telephonic address to the rally, she wished the people of Pakistan a happy Independence Day.
Although she has been on the radar for a long time, Andrabi was never charged because of “patronage by the state,” an officer told NDTV.
“Though many a time, she was put under house arrest, she continues to enjoy enough freedom to join the anti-India terror elements in Pakistan openly,” the officer said.
According to an NDTV report, the NIA is currently analysing Andrabi’s tweets, which are mostly written in Urdu. “She openly tweets anti-India sentiments,” an officer said. Andrabi also has a number of Lashkar operatives as her followers on Twitter. Some of them are active terrorists based in Kashmir Valley and some even in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir,” the officer said.
The videos of her speeches are reportedly shown at terror training camps across the Line of Control.
On April 27, the NIA registered a case against Andrabi under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967 (UAPA).
“The allegations against the accused persons are that they have been using various media platforms to spread insurrectionary imputations and hateful speeches that advocate use of violence against India and secession of J&K,” the NIA said in a statement.
