New Delhi: In an attempt to restore confidence in the security environment of Jammu and Kashmir post-Pahalgam terror attack, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted its quarterly conference to discuss various issues pertaining to its cases in Srinagar, the agency said on Monday.
The two-day conference was chaired by ED director Rahul Navin, who is learnt to have directed all the branches to expedite pending investigations, ensure filing of charge sheets and make efforts to expedite the trials under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
“ED successfully conducted its 32nd quarterly conference of zonal officers (QCZO) on September 12-13 in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. The two-day conference was chaired by the director, ED, and attended by all special directors, additional directors, joint directors and the deputy/assistant legal advisors,” the agency said in a statement.
“The decision to hold the conference in Srinagar was taken primarily to restore confidence in the security environment of the state after the unfortunate terrorist attack at Pahalgam a few months ago. Successful completion of the conference demonstrated that J&K remains a safe, vibrant and forward looking venue for national and international level deliberations,” the agency said.
According to an officer, who didn’t want to be named, J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah had written to the Centre recently asking to encourage different government departments to conduct their important exercises to give a sense of security and normalcy after which ED decided to hold the conference in the UT for the first time.
{{/usCountry}}According to an officer, who didn’t want to be named, J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah had written to the Centre recently asking to encourage different government departments to conduct their important exercises to give a sense of security and normalcy after which ED decided to hold the conference in the UT for the first time.
{{/usCountry}}Pakistan based terrorists shot dead 25 tourists and a pony operator on April 22 at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, impacting the tourism in the Valley.
In response to the Pahalgam attack, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7. Indian forces bombed nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in pre-dawn strikes --- in which at least 100 terrorists were killed --- and sparked a series of attacks and counter-attacks across the western border, involving fighter jets, missiles, armed drones, and fierce artillery and rocket duels. In one such attack on the night of May 9-10, the Indian Air Force struck targets at 13 Pakistani airbases and military installations. After four days of fighting, military hostilities were stopped on May 10 evening as the two nations reached an understanding.
The ED said on Monday that one of the important issues discussed during the conference was the fast tracking of the trial of PMLA cases.
“The Director, ED, reviewed the statistics and directed zonal heads to expedite pending investigations, ensure filing of final prosecution complaints, and make all possible efforts to fast-track trials. Following the observations from the Hon’ble Supreme Court bench during the review of the Vijay Madanlal Chaudhary judgement regarding establishing exclusive special courts for PMLA, it was noted that letters were sent to registrars of all chief Justices for consideration of the proposal of establishing exclusive PMLA courts,” the ED statement said.
“However, the discussions also noted that PMLA prosecutions are linked to the progress of the predicate offence, and the delays or adverse outcomes in those cases affect PMLA trials. Nonetheless, it was noted that on the cases that were decided on merit by the special courts, the agency has in fact secured convictions in 50 out of 53 cases, with a conviction rate of over 94 percent which could be the highest among all agencies in India and also globally. Further, it was acknowledged that ED has also been able to successfully restitute assets worth more than ₹34,000 crore to victims and legitimate claimants,” the statement said..