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Expand circle of investigation

Young Bites. Dated: 5/25/2017 10:58:16 AM

Intelligence sources maintained that Kashmir has emerged as a
prominent focus for hawala transactions, as extremist outfits in
countries grouped under the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC)
send money to terrorist groups in the state. Intelligence agencies
estimate that about 90-95 per cent of extremist funding comes
through this channel, with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia the primary
sources of these illegal flows. Some traders of Punjab, Rajasthan,
Delhi and Kolkata are hand in glove with Pakistan’s ISI operatives
and play a key role in transferring hawala money to terror modules.
Enforcement Directorate is trailing certain suspicious European and
PoK remittances, which have been routed to Jammu and Kashmir
in the past. It is suspected that these remittances have been used
for funding terrorism in the state. According to the NIA, the Hizbul
Mujahideen sent terrorists from Kashmir Valley to PoK in the garb of
traders. With the help of truck drivers, engaged in cross-border trade,
these terrorists facilitated money and weapons to Indian side.These
traders allegedly under-invoiced the goods sent from across PoK.
Indian counterparts sent equivalent goods as per barter system and
the extra money generated in the exchange was collected by Hizbul
Mujahideen in the valley. The same money was channeled to militants.
The National Investigation Agency has launched a fresh probe to track
the funding to separatist leaders in Kashmir by 26/11 Mumbai terror
attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed. The fresh probe comes in the backdrop
of a senior Hurriyat leader spilling the beans in a TV sting operation
about Hafiz-Hurriyat nexus. The NIA will investigate how the money
sent from Pakistan was distributed in the Valley to fuel the unrest.
“Some more people are expected to be involved in the nexus. The NIA is
scrutinizing phone and bank details of several other people suspected
to be involved in routing the funds to separatists and militants. Discreet
inquiries in the past have shown that some people who received
terror funds in their accounts had no connection whatsoever with the
depositors and the amounts were withdrawn immediately after being
transferred. Earlier this year, the NIA had also questioned several
cross LoC traders in Kashmir who were suspected to have been used by
Pakistan to send money to Hizbul Mujahideen and Hurriyat leaders.
Between 2008 when the barter trade started, till 2016, according to
NIA estimates, Pakistan has supplied about 34,000 trucks via Uri route
worth Rs 2,000 crore while India has sent 22,000 trucks worth Rs 1,900
crore. This gap of Rs 100 core, the NIA suspects, was used to fund terror
activities in the Valley. NIA also will have to expand its jurisdiction
where they include other Hurriyat leaders also because there have been
allegations which have been very rife in the streets of Kashmir about
various leaders of Hurriyat owning major hotels in Srinagar, Pahalgam,
Gulmarg and also outside Kashmir. Illegal funds were coming into
India since a long time and definitely, the Hurriyat was getting it. The
media reported it, the NIA investigated and therefore, there is some
success because definitely the person in the Hurriyat who was part of
that group has been suspended. So, NIA has definitely got proactive and
is getting information from the media also and sting operations. The
NIA is probing all aspects of funding of separatist leaders and use of
these funds in fuelling the unrest in the Valley.