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The NIA says the Jammu and Kashmir Affectees Relief Fund Trust has in the last 10 years collected huge sums of money which has been diverted to Pakistan based militant groups. Vicky Nanjappa reports
The killing of Indian soldiers at the LoC has once again brought up the issue of state sponsored terrorism by Pakistan. The Indian Home Ministry on Tuesday issued several statements relating to terror funding and infiltrations into India.
The National Investigation Agency is investigating ten cases related to funding of terrorist groups. They have found that in all Rs 600 crore has been pumped in for terror operations since the last two years through donations and relief funds. The organisation which has topped this list is the Jammu and Kashmir Affectees Relief Fund Trust.
NIA officials told rediff.com that during investigations they found the organisation alone had pumped in Rs 95 crore. The money was being collected under the pretext of relief work in the valley. The NIA has learnt that the group is headed by two Pakistani nationals Mahboob Haq and Masroor Dar, who subscribe to the Hizbul Mujahideen.
The NIA says the group has been working in the valley since the past 10 years and has collected huge sums of money which has been diverted to Pakistan based militant groups.
The money is either handed over in person to terrorists who infiltrate into the valley or is transferred through a hawala channel. Apart from providing finances, the JKART has also helped terrorists infiltrate into India. In the past 10 years they have helped over 1,000 terrorists to come into the valley.
An intercepted conversation between Dar and Syed Salahuddin blew the lid off the JKART’s activities. The NIA also took into custody an operative by the name of Shafi Shah, a resident of Bandipore in Kashmir. During interrogation the NIA learnt about its funding and other organisations that helped fund the operations.
Other than funds raise raised through donations, groups headquartered in Rawalpindi also pumped in funds through hawala channels.
Intelligence Bureau officials say that the terror funding takes place from three main branches in Pakistan located at Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Muzzafarabad. There are collection points in India at Pulwama, Kupwara, Sopore, Budgam, Doda, Baramula and Srinagar. These funds help run the India operations, controlled by nearly 40 outfits in Pakistan.
According to the Home Ministry, there are nearly 42 camps in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir exclusively for the purpose of fighting the Kashmir battle.Further the Home Ministry also says that there were 1,000 attempts of infiltration between 2010 and 2012. Out of this 95 were able to infiltrate into India.
While the problem of infiltrations continues, the latest report by the Intelligence Bureau would suggests that even during Tuesday’s attack some terrorists may have managed to slip in. “We have information about five terrorists who may have slipped when the troops on the Indian side were busy countering the problem. These persons who have slipped in belong to the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Lashkar-e-Tayiba. This group is part of the Mujahideen regiment, which helped these terrorists sneak into India. This is separate from the Pakistan army and engages only terrorists in the Kashmir battle,” an IB officer said.