Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, the Pakistan-based terror outfit blamed for Mumbai massacre raises an annual operation budget of a whopping $5.2 million (Rs 23 cr) according to US intelligence estimates, with most of it coming from private fund raised by its parent oragnisation JuD's charitable networks.
Funds are raised through a variety of sources mainly from private donations, NGOs, madrassas and business spread throughout South Asia, the Middle East and Europe, a non-paper prepared by the American intelligence says. The information in the non-paper was shared with the Pakistan Government in August 2009 at the direction of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, leaked US diplomatic cables have revealed.
The new reports of funding of terror outfits like LeT come as WikiLeaks quoting diplomatic documents said Saudi Arabia was the key source for funding of radical Islamist groups including LeT, Al Qaeda, Taliban and Hamas.
Other Gulf States like Qatar, Kuwait and UAE were reported to be lax in pursuing wealthy Sheiks who contributed money to these groups. The findings are contained in a series of American diplomatic documents spanning a period of several years, which depict the tough task Washington faces to shut down the tap of terror funding, much of which comes from wealthy donors.
Contrary to denials, the document said that Hafiz Saeed continues to lead both the LeT and its front organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa and that some of the funds collected in the name of charitable activities have been used for planning terror attacks.