Srinagar– A popular religious cleric Sarjan Ahmad Wagay aka Sarjan Barkati, who is in jail in a militancy funding case, is set to contest the upcoming legislative assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir as independent candidate.
Quoting family, new agency news agency KNO reported that they are filing nominations papers today at DC office Shopian.
They said that they have already conducted a meeting with locals in Reban, the native village of Barkati, and will leave toward Shopian to file his nomination papers.
Barkati’s daughter is expected to hold a press conference before filing nomination papers.
Barkati, who was the face of the 2016 agitation after the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani, was arrested on October 01, 2016 and was released in October 2020.
He was later rearrested by the State Investigation Agency in August last year in a militancy funding case and is still under custody. Later his wife was also arrested.
