Pak Canadian jailed for 14 yrs for helping Sikh militant group

A 50-year-old Pakistani-Canadian has been sentenced to 14 years in jail for providing material support to the Sikh militant group Khalistan Commando Force, blamed for carrying out assassinations and bombings in India.

Khalid Awan was convicted in 2006 by a US federal jury in Brooklyn for providing financial aid to Khalistan Commando Force (KCF).

In 2007, Awan was given a 14 year prison sentence, which was vacated by the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals.

The appeals court had ordered a lower court to consider handing him a longer sentence for a “terrorism enhancement” after prosecutors filed an appeal.

Awan was re-sentenced yesterday to 14 years’ imprisonment by federal judge Allyne Ross on the terrorism charges.

“During yesterday’s sentencing proceeding, the district court found that all three of Awan’s crimes intended to promote crimes of terrorism, and imposed a prison sentence of 14 years,” the Justice Department said yesterday.

In a statement, the FBI said KCF comprises Sikh militants seeking a separate Sikh state in Punjab and has been responsible for thousands of deaths in India since it was founded in 1986.

The organisation has engaged in numerous assassinations of prominent Indian Government officials — including that of Chief Minister Beant Singh of Punjab in 1995 — and hundreds of bombings, acts of sabotage, and kidnappings.

The US Attorney’s Office and the FBI began investigation against Awan in 2003 after an inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Awan was jailed on federal credit card fraud charges, reported that Awan boasted of his relationship with Paramjit Singh Panjwar, KCF’s leader and one of the 10 most wanted fugitives in India.

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Education Scholarship Scam

The government ha opposed to a bail plea of a Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) allegedly involved in misappropriation of Rs one crore scholarship money allotted for educational development of Gujjar and Bakerwal communities of border district Kupwara.

Muhammad Akbar Mir the accused ZEO (Zone Kumriyal) and his senior assistant, Muhammad Amin Lone, presently under arrest, had filed bail application before the High Court which was vehemently opposed by the Additional Advocate General Aijaz Ahmad Chisti.

Police station Kupwara has registered a case (FIR 403/2011) under various criminal sections of RPC against the accused.

The statements of five “beneficiaries” (shown by the accused) was recorded under section 164-A of CrPc before Judicial Magistrate 1st Class Kupwara and statement of 12 “beneficiaries” of Government Middle School Moori have revealed that they were actually not paid any scholarships, the Vigilance objections have said adding: “But the Acquaintance roll was manipulated and it was shown that the scholarships was disbursed in their favor.”

The accused have shown 4855 beneficiaries having received the scholarships although the names have not been recommended by the Pay Center Officers.

The two accused were arrested by Kupwara police for alleged misappropriation of more than Rs one crore to be disbursed among deserving Gujjar, Bakerwal and Pahadi communities in Khumriyal zone for their educational needs.

Earlier the bail application has been rejected by the concerned session’s court on the grounds that investigation into the matter was on so no merit for their bail.

Additional Advocate General, Ajaz Chisti who yesterday filed objections to the bail plea made by the two accused has said the two arrested educational officials have committed a serious crime. Their arrest, Chisti has argued, is bound to hamper the investigations.

The preliminary investigations into the matter have so far revealed, that state government had allotted a sizeable chunk of money to educational zone Khumriyal for scholarships for the students earmarked for the year 2009-10 and 2010-11.

But these funds were allegedly embezzled by the ZEO and other accused in the matter.

The Vigilance Organization Kashmir while objecting to the bail plea of the two accused had noticed certain misdeeds/ irregularities in the disbursement of the scholarships among the beneficiaries and had asked the ZEO Khumriyal to produce the records before the organization.

“But, the ZEO in connivance with his senior assistant set ablaze the records under a well knit conspiracy after the records were put in a vehicle( Spark Chevrolet) bearing registration no JK09-6805 which belonged to the  accused senior assistant,” the vigilance objections reads.