India is facing one of its greatest ever threats from circulation of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) from Pakistan-based operatives.
In fact, one of the cases being probed by the National Investigation Agency has revealed how Pakistani high commission officials, particularly based in Dhaka, were involved in smuggling of fake currency using diplomatic bags. Thus, Pakistan’s continuous backing of the FICN operatives will figure prominently during the home secretary level talks.
According to the draft paper, one Iqbal Kana, an Indian operating out of Karachi with ISI’s patronage, enjoys complete support of the ISI and has a vast network of ISI-backed operatives in Dubai, Kathmandu and Dhaka through which he is suspected to have pumped in at least `100 crores into the Indian economy in the last few years itself.
“Kana has been using the high security printing press at Quetta and Karachi which has been set up by the ISI to print counterfeit Indian currency. The ISI has managed to procure highly-sophisticated machines, paper and ink for these printing press and the entire operation is personally supervised by top officials of the Pakistani intelligence agency,” ’the note states.
Sources said Kana, who originally hails from Muzaffarnagar, had shifted base to Pakistan some years ago and is said to have close links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
“Earlier it was Aftab Batki, a close associate of Dawood, who used to control fake currency operations from Dubai. But now it appears that Kana is regulating the entire business for the ISI and Dawood,” a senior security official remarked.
Kana, sources added, is also believed to be one of the main financiers of Indian Mujahideen’s main operative in India Yasin Bhatkal. It is believed, he provided them with fake currency through his operatives in Nepal to fund their terror operations.
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Bhopal waste on way to Germany?
Rashme Sehgal
new delhi, may 22
With the residents of Pithampura in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh opposed to the Bhopal waste being incinerated in their backyard, the government seems to be stepping around to allow GIZ International Services (IS) to dispose off the waste in Germany.
GIZ IS had proposed in February 2012 to incinerate the 350 metric tonnes of waste in their facility in Hamburg at a cost of around `10 crores. GIZ IS is an international enterprise owned by the German government and presently operating in more than 130 countries worldwide.
A relieved MoEF, who has also had to bear the brunt of criticism for being unable to devise a strategy to get rid of this toxic waste for the last 28 years, is now willing to bend the rules so that the waste can be send to Germany. Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh has been pushing for its disposal and had written to both the home minister and environment minister, informing them that the German facility was willing to incinerate the waste at a much cheaper cost than what Ramky Environ Engineers, which runs a waste facility in Pithampur, had quoted.