SOURCE: INDIA TODAY
The chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the Pulwama terror attack case not only shows Jaish-e-Mohammed leaders’ connection to Pakistan but also to al-Qaeda. The evidence found during the investigation shows that the proscribed terror organisation has been sending its cadre to training camps of al-Qaeda-Taliban-JeM and Haqqani-JeM in Afghanistan for receiving training in explosives and other terrorist tactics.
In fact, the NIA chargesheet says that Jaish commander Umar Farooq, who was the mastermind of the Pulwama terror attack, trained at one such camp in Afghanistan between 2016-17.
Pulwama mastermind trained at al-Qaeda camp
The NIA chargesheet contains photographs of JeM commander Umar Farooq during his time at Sangin camp in Helmand province of Afghanistan, where he undertook training for explosives.
Umar Farooq, who is the nephew of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar, was killed during an encounter a month after the Pulwama attack. The Jammu and Kashmir Police recovered his mobile phone from the encounter site, which helped unravel the terror plot that caused the death of 40 CRPF jawans.
A photograph recovered from his phone shows Umar Farooq wearing a dark brown pathani suit holding a weapon and an Afghani cap, posing for the camera. This photo was taken at the al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan, where he spent one and a half year.
Umar’s high-end phone had a mobile phone camera with an integrated GPS that geotagged images, revealing the date, time and exact location of the photographs.
Umar’s uncle and Jaish launchpad commander Ammar Alvi had also clicked a couple of selfies along with Umar. These photos were also clicked at the Afghan camp.
Each time, some progress was made by Umar Farooq, pictures were clicked and sent across to his Jaish handlers.
UNSC report on JeM link to al-Qaeda
Interestingly, a UN report of May 27, 2020 highlights the role of JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba in terror camps in Afghanistan. The UN Security Council report cites Afghanistan interlocutors stating that JeM and LeT facilitate trafficking of terrorist fighters in Afghanistan, who act as advisers of trainers and specialists in making IEDs. Both LeT and Jaish have approximately 800 and 200 fighters, respectively, co-located with Taliban forces in Nangarhar province. A top NIA official said this corroborates their evidence further.
Money trail for Pulwama terror attack funding
The NIA chargesheet also reveals how money was sent to Jaish commander Umar Farooq to fund the Pulwama terror attack.
There are voice clips in which Umar Farooq can be heard asking for money from Maulana Masood Azhar and Rouf Azghar.
According to the NIA chargesheet, JeM had deposited Rs 10 lakh into Umar Farooq’s accounts in Meezan Bank and Allied Bank in Pakistan between January 2019 to February 2019. However, since Umar Farooq could not use the money in the Pakistani accounts in India, he made arrangements to get cash in Pulwama via his contacts who are yet to be traced.
A senior official privy to the details of the case told India Today TV that usually money, in such cases, is routed through hawala channels. “However, here Umar seems to have received cash in Pulwama. So the tracing the money trail is significant for the case,” the officer said. Another officer said investigations are still on, more arrests cannot be ruled out.
Umar Farooq gave regular updates to JeM top brass in Pakistan
WhatsApp chats recovered from Umar Farooq’s phone show that he gave regular updates to JeM leaders in Pakistan.
In one such chat, Umar tells his Jaish handler that Rs 5.7 lakh was spent on the purchase of a vehicle and explosives to organise the Pulwama attack.
In another chat, Rouf Asgar asked Umar about the movement of fighter jets in Kashmir after the Balakot strikes.
Umar also discussed with his associates that there should be a war between India and Pakistan so that those waiting to infiltrate across the border can be pushed into India.
He also discussed that a video showing mutilated bodies of Indian security forces should be made to motivate Kashmiri youth.
They also wanted to make an audio-video on Adil Dar, the Pulwama suicide bomber, in Kashmiri language eulogising him as a shaheed to inspire the Kashmiri youth. This plan was shelved due to the Balokot strikes as they were then told to lay low.
Umar Farooq and his associates also clicked and sent several photos of explosives, including one on a weighing machine.
