Did Lashkar proxy TRF, behind Pahalgam attack, get funds from Pakistan, Malaysia, the Gulf?

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has revealed major details about the funding of The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy group of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Notably, the terror outfit had earlier claimed responsibility for the killing of 26 tourists in the Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

The latest probe has uncovered the full trail of TRF’s funding network. Investigators found evidence showing money was sent from several other countries to support the outfit.

Which countries are involved? And is this funding connected to the Pahalgam attack?

Here’s a look:

How did TRF get its funding?

The NIA examined 463 phone calls linked to anti-India elements and extremist supporters, which helped expose the funding network of the TRF.

Investigators traced links to Pakistan, Malaysia and several Gulf countries, from where money was sent to the group to fuel its terror activities, NDTV reported.

The probe was guided by leads from a Srinagar-based individual’s mobile phone, which helped identify people involved in financing the TRF.

Some contacts saved on the device are already under investigation in other terror-related cases. The NIA is also looking into whether money was moved through hawala channels in Malaysia.

According to IANS, the name of one suspect, Sajad Ahmed Mir, a resident of Malaysia, surfaced during the investigation.

Call records of another man, Yasir Hayat, showed he was in touch with Mir to arrange funds.

The report said Hayat made several trips to Malaysia to collect money.

With Mir’s help, he raised Rs 9 lakh for the TRF, which was then handed to an operative named Shafat Wani, who runs the group’s operations.

Wani reportedly travelled to Malaysia under the pretext of attending a university conference. The university, however, had not sponsored the visit.

The NIA also found that Hayat, apart from his links with Mir, was in contact with two Pakistani nationals.

His role was focused on collecting funds, and investigators believe his task was to stay connected with foreign handlers to keep money flowing to the group.

On August 13, the NIA announced it had found a foreign trail of funds, which is now under detailed investigation.

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Was the funding used for Pahalgam terror attack?

It is important to note that this new probe is separate from the NIA’s investigation into the Pahalgam attack. It has not yet been established whether the funds arranged by Wani for the TRF from Pakistan were linked to the April 22 attack.

Officials have not disclosed how much money Wani received from across the border, the timeframe of these transactions, or his earlier connections with Lashkar-e-Taiba or other groups, saying only that the “investigation is currently going on”, Hindustan Times reported.

The findings come after raids in Srinagar and Handwara in Jammu and Kashmir, where officials recovered key documents related to TRF’s foreign funding, including details of accounts and sources.

Earlier, the NIA had said the TRF was providing money to local youth in Kashmir and “inciting them” to take part in anti-India actions, The Tribune reported.

“An ongoing investigation revealed that local youth were being instigated to indulge in anti-national activities and funded by the terror outfits,” an NIA officer said, adding that the probe had also traced a foreign trail of money being funnelled into the Valley.

What happens next?

These findings are expected to strengthen India’s case before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to push for economic action against Pakistan for supporting terrorism.

Notably, India has long sought Pakistan’s return to the FATF’s watchlist for countries seen as safe havens for terror financing and money laundering.

Sources told NDTV in May, shortly after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, that India has gathered proof of Pakistan’s role in financing terrorism and will use it to press for Islamabad’s re-entry into the FATF grey list.

Pakistan was first placed on the grey list in June 2018 due to shortcomings in tackling terror funding. It was removed in September 2022 after the FATF confirmed that Islamabad had completed the required action plan.

Being on the grey list had made it harder for Pakistan to access foreign aid, as funds came under tighter scrutiny.