ISI’S BUDGET FOR KASHMIR STONE PELTING IS RS 1,000CR

Money is being sent primarily to the separatist leaders, some compromised J&K government officials and a few MLAs, say intelligence agencies.

Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI has released close to Rs 1,000 crore to separatist groups and overground workers of terrorist groups to fuel public protests in Kashmir after the death of terrorist Burhan Wani, as per information gathered by Indian intelligence agencies. Demonetisation decreased the cash flow for some time, but it has again picked up and money is pouring in from ISI, which is using the hawala route to transfer the money.

Official sources, who are tracking developments in Kashmir, say that this huge sum of money is going to the separatist leaders, compro- mised officials of the Jammu and Kashmir government, and even some MLAs, among others. The money is then being dispersed to the handlers who manage “angry young Kashmiris” on the ground, and pay them to throw stones at the security forces, hampering anti-terror operations, apart from providing safe hideouts to terrorists.

“These people are getting money through the hawala route. There is no full-proof way to stop hawala transactions. Individuals sitting in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, who have deep pockets, are sending money to their contacts in Kerala, West Bengal and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. The money is then going to Kash- mir, where it is being spent to organise and fuel protests through the stone pelters, who do not have any other means of income and hence are easy fodder for the separatists. We know each and every detail of how much people are getting for pelting stones or for unfurling Pakistan and ISIS flags in the valley. The terror groups