[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]E[/dropcap]ver since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dropped a bombshell by scrapping use of currency notes of 500, 1000 denomination whole of India is up on its feet and lining outside different bank branches to replace their currency notes.
On the other hand large number of people have been assembling outside bank branches, defying separatist shut down calls, to replace old currency notes.
Even Congress vice President Rahul Gandhi was seen standing in the queue in one of the bank branches in India’s’ national capital on Friday. Not many would have ever imagined that the ‘heir apparent’ of Gandhi dynasty would have to stand in a queue to exchange his currency notes for daily needs.
Interestingly, in Kashmir valley we are yet to see any separatist leader worth his name coming out in the open and stand in a queue to lay his hands on new currency notes.
On the other hand large number of people have been assembling outside bank branches, defying separatist shut down calls, to replace old currency notes.
Majority of ATM machines and bank branches have not been able to cope up with the rush of customers even as all out efforts being made to streamline the functioning of the bank branches and ATM machines to reduce mass assembly of people at one place for security considerations.
Rough estimates suggested that in the last two days banks operating across Jammu and Kashmir have replaced old currency notes worth over 1000 crores. J&K Bank is running more than 900 ATM machines across the state.
Separatists left high and dry
Meanwhile, the stunning crack down on the black money has left separatist camp and militant sympathisers high and dry across Kashmir valley. Huge quantity of black money (exact figures cannot be traced out) stashed in secret lockers of these separatist leaders have been converted in to paper notes after the financial ‘surgical strike’ by the Modi government.
Facing all these hardships the common people, suffering due to four month long continuous shut down, are once again trying to join the nation wide hunt for new currency notes to resurrect their daily lives but the existence of these self styled separatist leaders have come under threat.
Income Tax authorities too are keeping a close watch on the transactions. Jewellers and hawala operators are under the scanner. IT department also conducted IT surveys across various cities in the state to ensure transparency.
Separatists thriving on ‘hawala’ money
Till date these leaders were thriving on ‘hawala’ money and waging a proxy war against the Union of India through their network of over ground workers.
Now with this single move Narendra Modi led union govt has blocked all their channels of funding and has demolished the huge network of counterfeit currency. The militant commanders would soon be facing resource crunch as currency notes which they must be having in their pockets would no longer be relevant. Intelligence agencies are anticipating soon the militant cadre would require fresh currency to sustain themselves. Even those who give shelter to them need fresh currency to organise basic logistics for them.
It is no political secret that these separatists were receiving loads of ‘hawala’ money through their well oiled machinery and hidden conduits in Kashmir valley. The same network was used to pump money to the street protesters and stone throwers to organise protests against India and raise the banner of revolt.
Pak ISI agency pumping fake currency to feed terror machinery
According to intelligence sources, for past several years Pakistan’s spy agency ISI has been pumping in huge consignments of counterfeit notes, believed to be printed in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, through the porous borders as part of its plan to undermine the Indian economy and sustain its own proxy war.
The government has also listed it as one of the reasons to demonetise notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 as it wanted to curb the circulation of fake currency to hit these network operators.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in 2015, various law enforcement agencies seized 1,78,022 pieces of fake Rs 1,000 notes. This means Rs 17 crore fake notes, which were in circulation could be calculated as they could be seized. Similarly, in 2015, as many as 2,99,524 pieces of Rs. 500 fake notes were seized.
Officials in the security establishment in their assessments have revealed that demonetisation scheme would adversely affect terror financing in the state.
An official said the demonetisation would impact the terror financing, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir. Terrorist outfits like Hizb-ul-Mujahideen collect donations in Pakistan and then route the money into the State through hawala operators. “The terror funding module in place right now, will be affected as the terrorist operatives always store money in the form of big currency notes. That money has become a piece of paper now,” said the official.
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They love to receive everything from India but hate to be Indian.
Healthy Trend Kashmir brothers, coming out to the Bank to take the new currency from the bank after the old exchanged
A patriotic fatith with the state and Centre. Without the interference of Dirty politicians and Separatist.