The California badaam (almonds) that make their way from Pakistan to Jammu & Kashmir by way of trade across the Line of Control have become the focus of an investigation into funds used to sustain stone-pelting and other protests against security forces.
Top sources told TOI that individuals, including separatists and hawala dealers, questioned during the last two weeks revealed that several traders registered to import and export 21 listed items through trade facilitation centres at Salamabad and Chakkan-da-Bagh underinvoiced imported California almonds among other goods. This way, the traders reportedly helped Pakistan send money meant to stoke unrest. The sale of these goods led to windfall profits which are suspected to have been transferred to separatists. Officials said hawala traders also played a role in the transfer of funds for stone-pelting.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has found out that “terror funding” by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the alleged transfer of cross-LoC trade proceeds are “interlinked”, and that a large amount exchanged through import and export of goods has been ultimately used to foment “civil unrest” in Kashmir.
The NIA had registered a case last year to probe irregularities in LoC barter trade, carried out by 300 registered traders in J&K. The agency filed a fresh case last month to investigate funding of stone-pelters and terrorists through separatists by LeT chief Hafiz Saeed and Pakistan.