New Delhi: At least 10 militants, who had crossed over to Pakistan, set up businesses across the border with the active aid of ISI and were involved in the recently suspended cross LoC trade to provide funds to terrorists and separatists in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
These Jammu and Kashmir natives are either based in Islamabad and Rawalpindi in Pakistan or Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and operating businesses ranging from almonds, dry dates, dry fruits to mangoes as part of the modus operandi to send money to fuel unrest in Jammu and Kashmir on behalf of the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, they said.
"These 10 militants were using the cross LoC trade between Jammu and Kashmir and PoK to fund terrorists and separatists in Jammu and Kashmir," a senior security official said.
India last week indefinitely suspended cross-LoC trade at two points along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir following reports that it was being "misused" by elements from across the border to smuggle weapons, narcotics and fake currency.
The LoC trade across Chakan-Da-Bagh and Salamabad was intended as a confidence-building measure for the population living in Jammu and Kashmir and across the Line of Control (LoC) in PoK.
Security officials also gave details of the 10 militants and their businesses which were involved in the cross LoC trade.
"The direct involvement of militants in the cross LoC trade and their contribution to fund terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir was one of the reasons to suspend cross LoC trade," another official said.
The government will revisit the issue of resuming the LoC trade after stricter measures and systems are put in place to address these issues.
New measures are expected to restore the benefit of LoC trade to local population only, rather than allowing terrorist organisations and unscrupulous traders based far away from these trading points to syphon off benefits and fuel instability in the valley, the official said.