A renewed whirlwind of political and media controversy has swept through Jammu and Kashmir, triggered by the police’s decision to summon several journalists. These summonses were issued following news reports that questioned a security-driven initiative aimed at collecting data on mosques and madrasas across the Valley.

While prominent media organizations and regional political figures have quickly branded this move as a direct attack on press freedom, the unfolding episode exposes a deeper, more complex conflict. It highlights how powerful institutions often rush to delegitimize critical counter-terror measures and transparency efforts in one of India’s most sensitive regions. Critics argue that this reflexive outrage frequently obscures the existence of long-standing terror financing networks and inadvertently shields the very frameworks that have historically fueled violence in Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir sits on a precarious geographical fault line, sharing a volatile boundary with Pakistan—a nation that has been repeatedly flagged by global watchdogs, including the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), for its role in sponsoring terrorism [Source: FATF Reports]. In this high-stakes environment, India’s security establishment has increasingly zeroed in on choking the financial lifelines of militancy, which is widely recognized as the oxygen that keeps terror groups alive in the Valley.

Police Drive Aligned with the Centre’s Focus on Terror Finance

The ongoing police exercise, which some media outlets have controversially described as “profiling” of mosques, cannot be understood if viewed in a vacuum. Instead, it must be seen as an integral part of the Modi government’s broader policy to strike decisively at the root cause of terrorism: its financing.

Security agencies have consistently maintained a nuanced position. They acknowledge that while mosques and madrasas are legitimate and sacred religious institutions, a small fraction of them have historically been exploited as conduits for raising and laundering funds for extremist organizations. This is often done under the guise of charity, donations, or religious collections. This misuse has a dark history; back in the 1990s, it was reported that mosque speakers were used by terrorists to threaten Kashmiri Pandits to abandon their homes and leave the valley, a tragic exodus that altered the region's demographics forever.

With this precedent in mind, the logic follows that seeking basic information—such as contact details, sect affiliation, and financial records of clerics—is not an act of oppression but a standard counter-terror financing practice. This is particularly crucial in regions that are vulnerable to radicalization and foreign-backed militancy, especially one that shares a long Line of Actual control with an enemy nation that routinely sends terrorists across to destabilise India.

Therefore, the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s current drive is not a random or isolated action. It is the continuation of a strategic roadmap that has already demonstrated tangible results in restoring order.

Past Insights: Cutting Cash Flow, Stopping Street Chaos

One of the most visible successes of India’s crackdown on terror financing came after agencies such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) began systematically targeting hawala networks, separatist funding channels, and Pakistan-linked handlers operating through NGOs and religious fronts.

This financial squeeze led to a dramatic reduction in stone-pelting incidents across the Valley, once a near-daily occurrence that paralysed civilian life and served as a pressure tactic for terror groups [Source: The Hindu, 2017]. Detailed investigations revealed that many of these street protests were not spontaneous outbursts of anger but were, in fact, funded through organised channels, with money distributed to youths for orchestrated violence.

The correlation was undeniable: Once the funding dried up, the so-called claims of seeking ‘azaadi’ collapsed, revealing the monetary machinery behind the unrest.

Major Convictions in Terror Funding Cases

The Modi government’s resolve to dismantle terror ecosystems was further underlined by decisive action against prominent separatist leaders, moving beyond mere detentions to securing legal convictions.

Asiya Andrabi, the head of the banned Dukhtaran-e-Millat, was arrested and convicted in terror financing cases for raising funds to fuel separatism and violence in Kashmir [Source: NewsX].

Even more significantly, Yasin Malik, the chief of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF)—who was for years projected by sympathetic sections of the media as a “peaceful separatist”—was arrested by the NIA and later convicted in a major terror financing case. In May 2022, a special court sentenced Malik to life imprisonment for illegally raising funds, criminal conspiracy, and maintaining links with terrorist organisations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) [Source: Al Jazeera].

The case decisively punctured the myth that separatist violence in Kashmir was organic or leaderless, instead exposing a structured funding apparatus backed by Pakistan and its proxies.

Reporters Called in Following Doubts on Police Motives

The friction began after specific news reports framed the current police exercise as “surveillance” or “profiling”. It was only after these narratives gained traction that journalists from national newspapers were summoned for questioning. The Indian Express confirmed that its Assistant Editor in Kashmir, Basharat Masood, was asked to sign a bond stating that he would not engage in activities that could “disturb the peace.” [Source: Newslaundry].

Other reporters were also called to Srinagar’s Cyber Police Station regarding their coverage. While the police have yet to issue a public statement, reports indicate that the questioning related to how the exercise was portrayed, especially when ‘journalists’ in Kashmir are notorious for peddling narratives that could inflame tensions or misrepresent counter-terror measures as communal targeting.

Press Groups Object, Ignoring Financial Terror Links

The reaction from media bodies was immediate. The Editors Guild of India (EGI) and the Press Club of India (PCI) swiftly accused the police of intimidation and coercion, warning of an atmosphere of fear. International advocacy groups such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Digipub News India Foundation followed suit [Source: TRT World].

However, what these statements conspicuously avoid addressing is the core security concern: terror financing through religious and charitable fronts is not a hypothetical threat but a documented reality in Kashmir. Global counter-terror frameworks, from the FATF to UN resolutions, explicitly mandate financial scrutiny of institutions vulnerable to misuse.

By framing any inquiry into mosque finances as repression, these bodies and those questioning the police drive not only pressurise the police officials serving their duty but also risk insulating precisely those spaces that extremist networks have historically exploited.

Political Anger and Ignored Realities

Regional political leaders also joined the chorus of disapproval. Mehbooba Mufti, leader of the PDP, objected to mosques being “singled out,” arguing that other religious institutions should also be scrutinised. However, security experts point out that past terror investigations have overwhelmingly linked militant funding in Kashmir to Islamist networks, not Hindu or other religious bodies.

The ruling National Conference condemned the summoning of journalists but shifted responsibility to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, while also distancing itself from the police action. Similarly, Congress leaders echoed concerns about shrinking press freedom, largely ignoring how terror financing methods have evolved since the 1990s and early 2000s, requiring updated policing methods.

The Harsh Reality

At its core, the outrage over police summons diverts attention from a fundamental question: should security agencies hesitate to follow financial trails in a terror-affected region simply because religious institutions are involved?

The Modi government’s approach, targeting money flows, dismantling hawala networks, prosecuting high-profile terror financiers, and enforcing transparency, has already delivered measurable security gains in Jammu and Kashmir. The current police drive fits squarely within that framework.

By casting aspersions on such efforts and reframing them as authoritarian overreach, the media bodies and politicians with vested interests may be unintentionally, or deliberately, shielding the very mechanisms that sustain terrorism in the Valley.

In a region scarred by decades of Pakistan-sponsored violence, the choice before the Jammu and Kashmir police is stark: be weighed down by the fake moral outrage of media bodies and opportunist politicians or perform their duty conscientiously and confront the financial lifelines of terror head-on.