- National Investigation Agency linked TRF funding to Pakistan, Malaysia, and Gulf countries
- TRF received about Rs 9 lakh through Malaysian resident Yasir Hayat
- NIA uncovered connections to Lashkar-e-Taiba's Sajid Mir through calls and data
India's federal anti-terror probe agency has made a big disclosure on the funding of The Resistance Front (TRF), the proxy group of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terror organisation in India, which had claimed responsibility for the killing of 26 innocent tourists during the Pahalgam attack.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has dissected as many as 463 phone calls linked to anti-India elements and supporters of extremism, exposing the TRF's funding channel. They found clues pointing to Pakistan, Malaysia, and Gulf countries, from where the TRF's funds have poured in and helped them spread terrorism across the subcontinent.
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The TRF received about Rs 9 lakh funding through Malaysian resident Yasir Hayat, the NIA has found, while also establishing links with the network of Sajid Mir, the most wanted terrorist of Lashkar-e-Taiba. The NIA has also retrieved crucial information from mobile data, social media chats, bank transactions, and call records of these people.
The breakthrough follows their successful raids in Srinagar and Handwara in Jammu and Kashmir. The agency had found important documents related to TRF's foreign funding, with solid information on the accounts and sources linked to the funds.
These details will help India present a foolproof case before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to ensure that Islamabad faces economic consequences for supporting terror activities. India has been pursuing Pakistan's inclusion into the FATF scanner for nations considered safe havens for terror funding and money laundering.
Read: India Has 'Evidence' To Put Pakistan Back On Money Laundering Grey List: Sources
Sources had told NDTV in May, just after the Pahalgam attack on April 22, that India has enough evidence on Pakistan's terror funding activities and will try to leverage it to put Islamabad back on the FATF's money laundering grey list.
Pakistan was earlier placed on the FATF grey list in June 2018, citing the absence of a comprehensive and coordinated risk-based approach to terror financing. In September 2022, Islamabad was removed from the list after the FATF found it to have completed an action plan advised by them.
Being on the FATF's grey list meant Pakistan faced more difficulties in getting foreign aid with increased scrutiny. With sources suggesting it misuses international aid, a lack of foreign financing would translate to worsening inflation and the debt situation in Pakistan.
