New Delhi (Sputnik): The predecessor organisation of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA), was funded by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the intelligence agency of Pakistan, says a news report, quoting declassified CIA papers.
The CIA documents, which have yet to be commented on by Pakistani authorities, show that HuA received ISI funds and that later the organisation drifted towards Osama Bin Laden for more funds.
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"Azhar Masood, the founder Jaish-e-Mohammed was the top functionary of HuA. He used to receive regular funding from the Pakistani intelligence agencies and had complained that enough money was not being sent through, as per declassified documents of the American (Central Intelligence Agency) record", the report says.
Masood was the general secretary in HuA when he was arrested by India in 1994 in Kashmir.
"Diplomatic reports indicate that ISI provided at least $30,000 — and possibly as much as $69,000 — per month to the HuA. The terror outfit was primarily targeting India. It had taken Western nationals hostage and had 'probably killed' them", the report adds.
The report quoted by the Indian newspaper was prepared by the CIA in 1996, but was made publicly available as part of a tranche of declassified documents last year.
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The newspaper report further quoted intelligence inputs as claiming that Masood received financial assistance and support for setting up JeM not only from the ISI, but also the Taliban government in Afghanistan and international terrorist Osama bin Laden.
These links were apparently forged through the Binoria Madrassah located in Karachi.