Separatist leader Yasin Malik was in touch with top Pakistan leadership over J-K: NIA tells Delhi High Court
The National Investigation Agency told the Delhi High Court that mere mention of the names of senior politicians would not absolve Yasin Malik of the offences for which he was charged and convicted.
Jailed Kashmiri separatist Yasin Malik was sentenced to life in a 2016 terror funding case. The NIA is seeking that the punishment be enhanced to death. (File Photo)
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is seeking a death sentence for jailed Kashmiri separatist Yasin Malik in a terror-funding case, has told the Delhi High Court that he was in contact with Pakistan’s “top leadership, including the Prime Minister, the President”, and others, to “to propagate narratives against India and to further the secessionist agenda in Jammu & Kashmir.”
The NIA’s response has come after Malik, in jail since 2019, filed a response with the Delhi High Court last year, in a sealed cover.
“It is manifest that the accused, Yasin Malik, was in contact with the top leadership of Pakistan, including the Prime Minister, the President, senators of the Pakistani Senate, and the Chief Ministers of all provinces, and was using such contacts to propagate narratives against India and to further the secessionist agenda in Jammu & Kashmir,” the NIA has submitted.
“…mere mention of names of senior politicians and senior bureaucrats does not negate the fact that the convicted accused had linkages with militant Hafiz Saeed and other militants…was well connected with multiple terrorist organisations and with supporters of the terrorist organisation LeT. The mere mention of names of government officers does not absolve the accused, Yasin Malik, from the offences for which he was charged and convicted,” NIA has further told the court.
A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja on Wednesday instructed the concerned jail authority to supply Malik with a copy of the rejoinder. The court will now hear the appeal next in July.
It is learnt that Malik had submitted that he was encouraged by the state to keep the “peace track” alive in Jammu and Kashmir, and that he was actively engaged by seven Prime Ministers in the past for the purpose.
Malik also reportedly said that then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and home minister L K Advani issued a passport to him in 2001, and he travelled with valid visas to the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, and even Pakistan, speaking on the resolution of Kashmir issues through dialogue.
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Malik, who has refused to engage legal counsel and has been appearing for himself from Jail No 7 of Tihar jail through video conferencing before the Delhi High Court, has denied his role in terror funding and has claimed that he is being made a “scapegoat”.
Malik was sentenced to life in a 2016 terror funding case, where the NIA is seeking that the punishment be enhanced to death. Sentenced by a trial court in 2022, Malik stands convicted under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, accused of allegedly acting in connivance, along with other separatist leaders and groups in Kashmir, with active militants of proscribed terrorist organisations for raising, receiving and collecting funds domestically and abroad.
Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.
Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).
Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.
She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.
With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.
Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.
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