Kashmiri separatists starved of funds after note ban, NIA crackdown: Jaitley

Rajnath Singh praised the NIA on Sunday and said that it had "a conviction rate of 95%, first for any agency in India."

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Delhi: Union Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said on Sunday that the security forces with their resolute action had established dominance over terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

He also said that the Centre was firm that armed militancy must end in the border state.

Jaitley added that the Kashmir issue had become complicated because of cross-border support to terrorists and also because local groups.

"Post demonetisation and  crackdown by National Investigation Agency (NIA)​ on separatists' foreign funding, they have been starved of funds," he said.

Jaitley added, "Now, the fund squeeze is such that it is difficult for them (separatists) to gather 25-50 people."

"The Kashmir issue had become complicated because of cross-border support (to terrorism) and (also) our own groups supporting the armed militants. Mass civil protests were seen in the form of stone- pelting and sometimes this was used to help terrorists escape," he further said.

He was speaking at a function organised by Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar. He spoke on the topic 'New India Pledge'.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was also present on the occasion.

On the other hand, speaking in Lucknow, the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh too praised the NIA and said that it had "a conviction rate of 95%, first for any agency in India."

He said, "NIA had successfully emerged as a credible agency since its inception in 2009. ​Fake currency plays vital role in fuelling naxalism and terrorism. NIA curbing this and is investigating cases of terror funding," as per ANI.

Rajnath also said, "​People involved in terror funding are scared of NIA. After it's recent course of action, stone pelting incidents in J&K went down."

"Emphasising on "finishing terror funding sources", he said, "If we plug sources of fake currency and terror funding, it will be a big blow to terrorism."

"We will win over naxalism, terrorism and extremism. In the past three years, extremism has come down by 75 percent in the Northeast and Naxalism has come down by 35-40 percent," Singh said.

Meanwhile, on August 14, four Kashmiri separatists, including the son-in-law of Hurriyat leader SAS Geelani, were sent to judicial custody by a Delhi court in a terror funding case.

Duty magistrate Pankaj Sharma sent Geelani's son-in-law Altaf Ahmed Shah, popularly known as Altaf Fantoosh, Peer Saifullah, Mehrajuddin Kalwal and Nayeem Khan to jail for 14 days.

The court's order came after the NIA had submitted that they were not required for further interrogation.

The agency had arrested seven persons on July 24 in the case of alleged funding of terror and subversive activities in the Kashmir Valley to fuel unrest.

The other three separatist leaders - Shahid-ul-Islam, Farooq Ahmed Dar and Mohamad Akbar Khanday -were sent to the judicial custody till September 1.

The money was being raised to fund separatist and terror activities in Kashmir, NIA had alleged, claiming that the accused were waging war against the country and were involved in various offences punishable under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

It had also alleged that the accused were involved in creating unrest by way of anti-India demonstrations and bandhs, which were done on their and others' instructions, as per PTI.

Shah was in the custody of Jammu and Kashmir Police, which had put him under preventive detention immediately after Eid last month.

Geelani's close aides, Tehreek-e-Hurriyat spokesman Ayaz Akbar and Peer Saifullah, were arrested by the NIA from the Valley. 

(With Agency inputs)