This book analyses the layered and complex web of terror financing in Kashmir. It examines the role of multiple actors — including formal and informal, state and non-state, profit and non-profit, and local and international — to delineate the various strands of an intricate financial system. It shows how, over time, these sophisticated networks have largely remained elusive to Indian counter-terrorism agencies and the need for a specialised and focused effort to understand it.
Drawing on interviews with confidential sources within terror networks, as well as inputs and intel from security agencies on the ground, the author lays the groundwork for a robust counter-terrorism strategy in Kashmir. This book will be a must read for professionals and researchers in security studies, military and strategic studies, politics and international relations, and South Asian studies.
1. Introduction 2. Game Begins: Azadi Financed by Drugs and Hawala Channels 3. Game Goes Global: Terror Funding from Diaspora Organisations and Charities 4. Layers within Layers: Azadi Funded by Petro Dollars and Fake Currency 5. Terror Financing-A Close Look at the Trinity: Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad, and Hizbul Mujahideen 6. Insider Narratives 7. Mainstream Institutions and Terror Financing 8. In Search of a Robust Strategy to Counter Terror Financing
Biography
Abhinav Pandya completed his Ph.D. on terrorism and counterterrorism in Jammu and Kashmir from OP Jindal Global University. Also, he is a Cornell University graduate in public affairs, with a bachelor's from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.
He is the founder, director, and CEO of Usanas Foundation, India-based security, and foreign policy think tank. As a CEO, he has curated two international security and foreign policy conferences titled Maharana Pratap Annual Geopolitics Dialogue 2022 and 2023. He has extensively written for the National Interest (USA), Vivekananda International Foundation, Observer Research Foundation, South Asia Democratic Forum (Brussels), Haaretz (Israel), the Economic Times (India), HW News (India), Sunday Guardian, the Express Tribune (Pakistan), Huffington Post, Fair Observer (U.S.), Firstpost, Indian Defense Review, Indian Military Review, Policy Perspectives Foundation (India) and Quint. His research articles have appeared in peer-reviewed journals like Perspectives on Terrorism, (International Counter Terrorism Center, Hague), CLAWS Journal (CLAWS), and Strategic Analysis (IDSA). He has authored “Radicalization in India: An Exploration (Pentagon, 2019). He has given lectures on terrorism-related issues to NATO officers (Baltic Defence College), US Congressional Staff members, Vivekananda International Foundation, Central Reserve Police Force (India), the Bureau of Police Research and Development), the Indian Army, and Global Policy Institute. He has been interviewed by tv channels like News X (India), DD India, NBC (USA), Epoch Times, Zee News, Stratfor, Dainik Bhaskar, and many Ph.D. scholars working in terrorism studies.
In the past, he has advised the former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir on security issues during the critical times when Kashmir’s special status, that is Article 370, was revoked. He also worked with the International Labor Organization, UN as a member of the national-level specialist team on MGNREGS. He has extensive experience with the conflict situation and intelligence dynamics in Kashmir.
