Blocking terror funding proving to be useful

Whether demonetisation of high denomination currency has left Maoists in many parts of India and separatists in Jammu and Kashmir “fund starved” as Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley claimed recently may be a point of contention but there is no disputing the fact that the intensified security forces campaign against terror both in Kashmir and in the Maoist pockets across the country is yielding results. There is also a drastic fall in the number of protesters taking part in stonepelting in militancy-hit Kashmir. The cold reality is that a hardening of stance was long overdue and it should be no surprise that it is paying off. “Stone pelters used to gather in thousands on the streets of Kashmir before demonetisation was announced, but now not even 25 come together for such agitations,” Jaitley said at a party function in Mumbai.

As many as 92 terrorists were killed until July 2 this year, against 79 in the corresponding period of 2016, as per official figures. While 72 and 67 terrorists were eliminated in Jammu and Kashmir in 2012 and 2013 respectively, the numbers picked up during NDA’s tenure, touching 110 in 2014, 108 in 2015 and 150 in 2016. The single biggest factor for the surge in killing of terrorists has been the seamless coordination between the Army, the central forces, the state government and intelligence agencies. What is even more significant is that many high-profile terrorists were among those eliminated. The crackdown on terror-funding sources and the arrest of the conduits of such funding contributed in no small measure to the successes in the war on terror. But the campaign needs to be sustained to have a durable effect. Any let-up can negate the gains of the last few weeks and put the clock back on terror.

There can be little doubt that terror has to be combated with a heavy hand. There cannot be any half-measures in dealing with this menace. Even if the government has to come to the negotiating table, it has to negotiate from a position of strength. As for funding of terror, while the conduits have to be choked it is important that deterrent punishment be meted out to the terror perpetrators as well as to the funders. If that requires more stringent laws, so be it. The Hurriyat has been a recipient of terror funding and has been a conduit for terror financing to terrorists emanating from across the border. It needs to be relentlessly pursued for sustained results. Hurriyat leaders are after all under the grip of enforcement authorities. They must be pursued relentlessly.