Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, July 2: In a bid to wide its crackdown on the "militancy funding channels" in Jammu and Kashmir, the newly constituted Multi-Disciplinary Terror Monitoring Group (MDTMG) has started its job in Kashmir to evolve a joint strategy to block all the ways of possible financing to militancy and separatism related activities in the state.
Sources told Early Times that with this, the chances of release of separatist leaders including Muhammad Yasin Malik and Shabir Ahmed Shah have become "bleak".
MDTMG was formed by the MHA on June 16 with a sole aim to roll out a united effort to crack the whip on the sources of "militancy funding in the State of Jammu and Kashmir." The new body was made up of eight members in total, with Additional DGP CID of J&K Police as the chairman. IGP of J&K Police will also be part of the entity.
It will have officials representing the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) among its members.
"The newly-constituted TMG will be responsible for taking coordinated measures to resolve all cases registered in matters of terrorism, including terror financing. The group will also be responsible for identifying major leaders of organizations supporting terror activities, as well as look for terror sympathizers," said sources.
The decision to set up the TMG had comes in the wake of a massive government crackdown on groups in the Kashmir Valley, such as the JKLF and the Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir, involved in supporting and financing separatism and militancy.
Pertinently, the MDTMG in its meeting has decided to widen its ambit and start finding some missing links to ensure all sources of funding is blocked to the militants and separatists. "A joint strategy is already in place and has been fine tuned. The MDTMG has decided to meet once in every week and four times in a month and submit the progress report to the MHA on weekly basis," said sources.
Sources said that chances for the release of separatist leaders booked for their involvement in "militancy funding and illegal finances" that include JKLF chief Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmed Shah, Altaf Ahmed Fantosh, Ayaz Akbar, Advocate Shahidul Islam, Farooq Ahmed Dar, businessman Zahoor Watali, women separatist leaders Asiya Andrabi and her close aides, Fehmeeda Sofi and Nahida Nasreen are very bleak. |
