After demonetisation, crackdown by NIA Kashmiri separatists starved of funds, says Jaitley

Union Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said on Sunday said that demonetisation, crackdown by National Investigation Agency have made it difficult for separatists to carry on their activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Post demonetisation and NIA crackdown on separatists' foreign funding, they have been starved of funds." he said.

While addressing a gathering, Jaitley said when he and Sushma Swaraj were leaders of the opposition, it was easier for them to bring cases of corruption before the nation as such cases emerged regularly and they had to collect only data.

"Now, the fund squeeze is such that it is difficult for them (separatists) to gather 25-50 people," Jaitley added.

Commenting on the stone-pelting in Kashmir, Jaitley said that the practice of funding stone-pelters needs to be discouraged. "Since we have arrested people who were funding stone pelters we can see a direct impact. Many a times, terrorists use stone pelting as an excuse to escape."

Meanwhile, on August 14, four Kashmiri separatists, including the son-in-law of Hurriyat leader SAS Geelani, were sent to judicial custody by a Delhi court in a terror funding case.

OneIndia News