Pakistan-based Kashmiri terrorists involved in LoC trade: Officials

In a startling revelation, security officials on Wednesday claimed that they have identified nine terrorists of Jammu and Kashmir who are involved in doing business through LoC trade route. The officials added that these terrorists are now based in Pakistan and are doing business with the help of Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI. The officials also said that these terrorists are using the money earned from trade for funding of terror activities in Kashmir and other parts of India.

The nine terrorists are identified as Mehrajuddin Bhatt, Nazeer Ahmed Bhatt, Basrat Ahmed Bhatt, Shaukat Ahmed, Noor Mohammad, Khurshid, Imtiyaz Ahmed, Aamir and Ejaz Rahmani.

It may be recalled that on Thursday the Indian government had decided to suspend all cross-LoC trade with Pakistan saying that Pakistan-based terrorirsts were using the trade route to push weapons, narcotics and counterfeit currency into India.

Security officials, however, said that some Pakistan-based terrorists had started misusing the LoC trade on a very large scale. The investigations of certain cases by NIA revealed that a large number of firms engaged in LoC trade are being operated by persons who are associated with terrorists, ANI reported.

Meanwhile, DGP Jammu and Kashmir, Dilbag Singh on Wednesday said at a press conference that recruitment of local youth for terror activities have gone down in the last one year. He said that a total of 272 terrorists were killed in J&K during 2018 and many were arrested.

Lt Gen KJS Dhillon of GOC 15 Corps added that the security forces will continue their operations against the terrorists and will not allow the terror groups to survive inside India. He added that 69 terrorists have been killed this year so far and 41 terrorists have been killed after the cowardly Pulwama attack on February 14. According to Dhillon, 25 of the killed terrorists belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammed and 13 of them were Pakistanis.