Demonetisation ended terror-funding, stone-pelting: Manohar Parrikar

NEW DELHI: Defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday said that there have been no incidents of stone pelting in the Valley ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the demonetisation decision on November 8.Congratulating PM Modi for this achievement, Parrikar also said, "Earlier, there were rates: Rs 500 for stone pelting (on security forces in Kashmir) and Rs 1,000 for doing something else. PM has brought terror funding to zero".Parrikar was speaking at an event in Mumbai organised by the BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar."Whether it's border security or economic security, PM Modi has taken daring decisions," he said, adding "whatever is being done, our jawans on border are doing it, I and PM are just supporting it."Earlier in the day, news agency ANI had also quoted MHA (Union home ministry) sources as saying that there has been a decline in separatist-instigated violence in the Valley after the surprise demonetisation move.The government, since the surprise announcement of the demonetisation move , has reiterated that this would not only prevent corruption and hoarding of black money but also go a long way in curbing terror-funding.BJP on Monday had said that PM Modi's "financial surgical strike" has put the final nail in the coffin of separatism and militancy in Kashmir and that the situation in the valley would never be the same again."The well-timed and extremely well-executed move on blocking currency of high denominations by the Union government has put a nail in the coffin of separatism and militancy in the state," BJP's Jammu and Kashmir chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi said.It is believed that the violence instigated by separatist forces in Kashmir is widely-funded by fake currency notes coming from across the border . The intelligence sources had earlier informed the government and the Reserve Bank of India about a mint in Pakistan's Peshawar where fake Indian currency notes were being printed, especially of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations.Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI, which oversees the mint, uses organised networks including those run by its clients like Dawood Ibrahim, LeT, besides international criminal networks to push fake currency into India.In a report to government and RBI, intelligence agencies had claimed a few years ago that Pakistan machinery had achieved "zero-error counterfeit capability" in printing fake Indian notes.On November 10, TOI had reported that intelligence sources have said that the security features on the new notes will be nearly impossible to duplicate for Pakistan and organised criminal networks. Personnel from the Research and Analysis Wing, Intelligence Bureau and the DRI, had been scrutinising the features of the new notes while they were being secretely printed for the last six months.