Pegasus: Mehbooba Mufti’s kin were targets in 2018

Phone numbers of more than 25 people from the Kashmir Valley and Kashmiri journalists and activists in Delhi were in the snoop list for surveillance using the Pegasus spyware reported The Wire The software developed by the Israeli company NSO Group was sold to an unidentified government client Separatist leader Bilal Lonersquos phone was targeted in 2019 according to the forensic analysis of his phone while Hurriyat conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was a potential target between 2017 and 2019Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq PicsAFPLonersquoS phone data was examined by Amnesty Internationalrsquos Security Lab after his number appeared on the leaked list of more 50000 phone numbers worldwide including 300 in India Lone told the news portal that hersquos no longer involved in political activities and now runs his bakery in Srinagar At the time his number was targeted he was active in politics ldquoI used to hear rumours about phone tapping It never occurred to me that I also may be a target But I am too small a person to do anything about itrdquo The Wire quoted him as sayingTwo family members of Peoplersquos Democratic party PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti were potential targets in 2018 when she was the chief minister of JampK The numbers appeared on the list two months before the BJP severed its alliance with PDP in June 2018At least four members of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelanirsquos family were on potential targets between 2017 and 2019 PicAFPldquoPeople are used to having their thoughts ideas not only intercepted but even being punished for themrdquo Mufti was quoted as saying Tariq Bukhari brother of JampK Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari appeared on the list between 2017 and 2019 Bukhari a businessman was interrogated by the NIA in the terror funding case in April 2019 Later he backed the Centrersquos move to strip JampK of its autonomy in August 2019 A separatist leader Zaffar Akbar Bhat a cleric linked with Hurriyat was also on listFour members of prominent separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelanirsquos family including his son scientist Syed Naseem Geelani and soninlaw and journalist Iftikhar Gilani were chosen for surveillance between 2017 and 2019Mehbooba Mufti PDP chiefAmong others on the list are human rights activist Waqar Bhatti Kashmiri journalists mdash Muzamil Jaleel of the Indian Express Aurangzeb Naqshbandi formerly with Hindustan Times Iftikhar Geelani formerly with DNA Sumir Kaul of PTI and another who wants to remain anonymous and Shabir Hussain a Kashmiri political commentator based out of Delhi Some appear in the list in 2018 and some in 2019The phone number of a prominent critic of the BJP governmentrsquos Kashmir policy based out of Delhi was found to be in list Two businessmen one from Kashmir and another Delhi and a handicrafts businessman in Srinagar are also on the list All their names have been protected by The WireThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever