British Muslims Funding Pak-Based Terrorists: Report

June 9, 2002

In a sensational disclosure, “The Sunday Telegraph” claimed that British Muslims were funding Pakistan-based Kashmiri terrorist groups to the tune of five million pounds a year.
Secret visits to mosques in London last week by the reporters of the daily revealed the clerics openly talking about how money was being diverted to "freedom fighters" in Kashmir.
Another sympathizer, who described terrorists as “our fighting brothers” said it was "easy" to send money to the terrorists.

The evidence of clandestine support for the Kashmiri terrorist outfits vindicates claims in a report submitted to the British Foreign secretary Jack Straw by his Indian counterpart Jaswant Singh in New Delhi two week ago.

The report claimed that two banned groups, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, were illegally raising up to 5 million pounds a year.

Meanwhile, at the Regent's Park mosque in London, funds have been raised for the Kashmiri "freedom fighters".

The report quoted Abu Hamza, the Imam saying that if funds were raised for terrorism, he would support it. "These people are defending their Islamic brothers," he said.
"Britain is a source of funds for both groups because of its large Kashmiri population," an Indian official said.

There are six lakh people of Kashmiri origin in Britain, most from the area under Pakistani control.

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