Centre keeping close watch to check terror funding in Valley

NIA TAKE Pakbased groups generate millions from donations to finance terrorism in J&K

The Centre on Thursday said it is keeping a close watch on illegal flow of funds to fuel militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and that action is being taken by security agencies in such instances.

“All terror-related incidents, including terror funding, are being monitored by the agencies. Appropriate action is also being taken,” spokesperson in the Union home ministry Ashok Prasad told reporters here.

He was replying to a question on Pakistan’s continuous attempts to fund militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

Prasad said the J&K Police, along with the central paramilitary forces, is trying to bring back normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir, which has been hit by unrest.

“All efforts are being made to bring back normalcy. The Centre is providing all help to the state government,” he said.

Recently, a Noida-based television news channel in a sting operation had shown chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir National Front, Nayeem Khan, as admitting to the use of Pakistani funds to finance the 2016 Valley unrest.

The sting operation, which also featured Tehreek-E-Hurriyat leader Gazi Javed Baba and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (R) chairman Farooq Ahmed Dar, showed Khan saying that all “separatists get funds from Pakistan”.

However, Nayeem told reporters in Srinagar that the sting operation was “fake and doctored”.

Furthermore, a team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had also visited Srinagar to question top separatist leaders in the Valley regarding funds received from Pakistani sources, including terror outfit Lashkare-Taiba (LeT), to fuel the Kashmir unrest.

According to an estimate of the NIA, Pakistan-based terror groups finance terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir by generating millions in donations through their charity organisations.

Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a charity run by terror outfits Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Al Rehmat Trust, backed by another terrorists group Jaish-eMohammed (JeM), have been supporting terrorists and funding terrorism in Kashmir.

These outfits collect donations from people in Pakistan and then pass on the money to finance terrorism in Kashmir through their over ground workers, an NIA official has said.

‘Al Rehmat Trust’ distributes pamphlets to raise funds for sacrificing animals during Eid and after collecting the money, they finance terrorism.

FIF, one of the major and fastest growing Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) in Pakistan, also collects money from people and uses them to fund terrorists.

The groups collect millions of dollars in donations through crowd funding in the name of social service, the officer said.

According to a 2012 report of an intelligence agency, 780 million Pakistani rupees were collected for funding terrorism in Kashmir.

RECENTLY, NIA VISITED SRINAGAR TO QUESTION TOP SEPARATIST LEADERS REGARDING FUNDS RECEIVED FROM PAKISTANI SOURCES, INCLUDING TERROR OUTFIT LASHKARETAIBA, TO FUEL VALLEY UNREST