New Delhi, July 17
The Union Home Ministry and the Jammu and Kashmir Government will put in place a more stringent mechanism to check the inflow of foreign funds being channelled to stone-pelting protesters in the state.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today met Home Minister P Chidambaram here this morning. Abdullah confirmed what the security agencies have been alleging for a long time. “Yes, money is coming through various channels in the state. We are going to put in place some more concrete steps to stop the flow of funds,” he declared at the meeting.

The Chief Minister also met other Central leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who assured him all help and support to overcome the present crisis in the state. Omar also met Congress president

Sonia Gandhi and discussed with her the functioning of his government. India believes the Lashkar-e-Toiba is hand in glove with protesters in J&K and has been guiding them. Stones are being hurled in a planned manner on locations that are pre-decided. Boys are being paid up to Rs 300 for each incident of stone-pelting and the money is transferred using a popular money transfer agency via the Gulf, sources have indicated.

Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram, upon his return from Pakistan last month, had said the anti-national elements fomenting trouble in J&K were clearly linked to the LeT, the same organisation that was behind the Mumbai attacks.

This morning while addressing mediapersons, Abdullah said he had a detailed discussion with the Home Minister about the prevailing situation in the state and the steps being taken to improve it. He is learnt to have asked for specific crowd control equipment that is non-lethal in nature for paramilitary forces and the J&K police.

In reply to a question on the deployment of the Army in J&K, the Chief Minister said: “The Army was deployed after the state government and various agencies assessed the situation.” The decision to bring in the Army was taken last Tuesday.

On the withdrawal of the Army, Abdullah said: “As far as I am concerned a decision has to be taken in the light of the result that it (Army) delivers.”

When asked about the Opposition’s allegation that he was losing control over the government, Abdullah said: “There is no point… we had given the Opposition a chance to express its views at the all-party meeting which they boycotted. The situation was tense but gradually it is improving. It is obvious that the Opposition wants that I should lose control”.