Global Terror Infrastructure and Implications for India continues...

Although not all terrorist acts require large
funds, the need for funds is determined by the size and area of the operation, the focus here would be on the method of transfer of funds, locating and eliminating hawala operators etc. The nation has now has been forewarned by the US State Department in its 2006 Country Terrorism Reports (published on 30 April 2007) in which it is stated that terrorist organizations such as Jaish-e-Mohammed have used Indian banks, commodities markets, and stock exchanges not only to fund terror but earn high dividends and interest on their ill-gotten funds!

The modus operandi employed by terrorist outfits to generate funds has been brought out by India’s National Security Adviser, rd M. K. Narayanan, at the 43 Munich Conference on Security Policy held on 11 February 2007:

(i) Voluntary contributions: from individuals, members of expatriate communities, and organizations that sympathize with the broad objectives of the terrorist organization. The erstwhile LTTE in Sri Lanka and the Al Qaeda, regularly received sizeable contributions through such means.

(ii) Forced/Compulsory donations: Ethnic, ideological and religious terrorists are known to use the technique of forced or compulsory donations on special occasions such as religious festivals, sending round of “collection boxes” is fairly common, and provides anonymity as well. Compulsory subscriptions to pro-terrorist publications have laterally become an important avenue for generation of funds. The Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toeba’s monthly, Majalah-al-Dawana, and its weekly magazine, Al Ghazwa, are two prime examples.

(iii) State support/sponsorship: The Lashkar-e-Toeba, the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Al Badr (which operate in India) are well patronized, including through provision of funds, by certain official agencies across the border. Shared objectives such as involvement in “Low-Intensity Conflict” provide the excuse for such official support. A tentative estimate of funds made available to such terrorist outfits annually is in the region of a few million dollars.

to be continued....

( This account is maintained by Har Anand Publication)