‘13 terror financers in J&K identified’

Newdelhi:continuing crackdown on terror financers, security agencies have identified 13 people, including Hizbul Mujahideen founder Syed Salahuddin, Hurriyat leaders and businessmen, who are allegedly providing funds to terrorists and stone pelters at the behest of Pakistan’s Inter-services Intelligence (ISI), officials said on Sunday.

The Centre has started seizing properties belonging to terror financiers in a big way. 13 individuals and their properties have been identified by National Investigation Agency and action has been initiated, they said.

A senior government official said, “Individuals identified during these investigations have been found providing money to all major terrorist groups like LET and Hizbul Mujahideen as also Hurriyat leaders, separatists and stone pelters in Jammu and Kashmir,” a senior government official said.

Funds were provided to the leadership of Kashmir-based terrorist groups for misguiding, motivating and recruiting local youths to militant ranks.

Operational activities of terror groups, including attacks on security forces, camps and convoys, are also being financed, the official said, adding that money obtained through these channels are being used by major secessionist formations, especially Hurriyat Conference.

These funds are used for maintaining Hurriyat’s top leadership and a massive propaganda machinery to arouse disaffection among the people of Jammu and Kashmir against the Centre.

It is also being utilised to spread false information through media contacts, newspapers and social media, the official claimed.

The official also said that these are in turn used to instigate and lure misguided youths to resort to anti-india activities, violent street protests and stone pelting on security forces at encounter sites. Extensive use of such funds is being made to finance institutions such as select mosques, madrasas and organisations like recently banned Jamat-e-islami (JEI)(J-K), for focusing on subverting locals, another official said. In the first strike, action was initiated to attach a plush bungalow of Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali in Gurugram, the official said.

He is, at present, lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail. Watali is allegedly a major conduit for funnelling terror finances into India, the official said.