Former Independent MLA in Jammu and KashmirSheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Rashid Engineer, was arrested by theNational Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday in connection with a case relatedto the funding of terror activities in Kashmir, officials said. Rashid, who wasa legislator from the Langate Assembly seat in north Kashmir, is the firstmainstream politician to have been arrested by the NIA in the case.

He was earlier questioned in the case in 2017 and againsummoned earlier this week.

The officials said that he was unable to give any convincinganswers to the questions and therefore, his custodial questioning becamenecessary.His name had cropped up during the interrogation of businessmanZahoor Watali, who was arrested by the NIA for allegedly supplying money toterror groups and separatists in the Valley.

The NIA had registered the case against separatist andsecessionist leaders, including unknown members of the Hurriyat Conference, whohave been acting in connivance with active militants of proscribed terroristorganisations Hizbul Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) andother outfits and gangs, the officials said.The case was registered forraising, receiving and collecting funds through various illegal means,including hawala, for funding separatist and terrorist activities in Jammu andKashmir and for causing disruption in the Valley by way of pelting stones onthe security forces, burning schools, damaging public property and waging waragainst India, the probe agency said in the FIR.Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistan-basedchief of the Jamaat-ud- Dawa, the front of the Lashker-e-Taiba, has been namedin the FIR as an accused. The FIR also names organisations such as the twofactions of the Hurriyat, one led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the other byMirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Dukhtaran-e-Millat, anall-women outfit of separatists.