I'm Indian: Kashmir Separatist's Daughter Distances From Father's Ideology

Jailed Kashmir separatist Shabir Ahmad Shah's daughter Sama Shabir and Pakistan supporter Syed Ali Shah Geelani's granddaughter Ruwa Shah have dissociated themselves from the separatist ideology and pledged their loyalty to the sovereignty of Union of India.

In identical public notices published in local newspapers, they distanced themselves from separatist politics.

Ruwa Shah, daughter of Geelani's son-in-law Altaf Ahmad Shah alias Altaf Fantoosh, issued a public notice distancing herself from the Hurriyat Conference faction founded by her late grandfather.

She also declared she had no inclination or sympathy towards the Hurriyat Conference ideology.

"I am a loyal citizen of India not affiliated with any organisation or association which has an agenda against the Union of India and I owe allegiance to the Constitution of my country (India)," Ms Shah said in the notice published in a local daily earlier this week.

Her father, who was also in jail for alleged terror funding, died last year after a prolonged illness.

In a separate public notice published in a local newspaper on Thursday, 23-year-old Sama Shabir, a former CBSE topper in Kashmir, emphasised her status as a loyal Indian citizen and unequivocally distanced herself from the banned separatist organisation founded by her father, who is currently in Tihar Jail on money laundering and terror funding charges.

"I am a loyal citizen of India and I am not affiliated with any person or organisation which is against the sovereignty of the Union of India," Sama Shabir, the elder daughter of Shah, said in the notice.

"I am not associated with the DFP or its ideology in any way," Sama Shabir stated, cautioning that legal action would be pursued against anyone linking her to the separatist group without authorisation.

Shabir Ahmad Shah (70) was arrested in 2017 by the Enforcement Directorate over alleged money laundering activities linked to terror financing. He was later charge-sheeted by the National Investigation Agency also for alleged terror financing.

The case stemmed from a 2005 incident in which Mohammed Aslam Wani, an alleged hawala dealer, was apprehended by the Special Cell of Delhi Police with a substantial amount of cash, purportedly intended for Shah.

Sama was summoned by the ED in 2019 in connection with the case, but she did not appear at that time as she was in the United Kingdom studying law.

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