Mobile phone services were partially restored in the Valley on Saturday, even as the curfew in Srinagar and the two south Kashmir towns of Anantnag and Pampore entered its 43rd day. An official said, "Mobile and telephone services across all networks were restored at around 11am. Outgoing call facility on pre-paid phones have not been restored yet," according to PTI.
Another official, however, said restrictions on the movement of people are still in force in the rest of the state, which saw protests after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8. President Pranab Mukherjee met an all-party delegation from Jammu and Kashmir, led by former chief minister Omar Abdullah. They apprised him of the prevailing situation in the Valley, ANI reported.
Moreover, the National Investigation Agency said it will soon draw a list of Kashmir residents with suspicious bank activities, Greater Kashmir reported. Officials said militant groups and their sympathisers were using "hawala channels" to transfer money. They were talking people, especially those travelling to West Asia for work, into receiving money in their bank accounts, which is then used to finance "terror activities". Officials added that the "handlers" left 1% of the money transferred to the individuals as commission, and the amounts were withdrawn within 48 hours of the transaction.The agency will approach banks and financial institutions based in the state for assistance to prepare the list. While the NIA maintained that the probe was triggered by protests that followed Wani's killing, it said an "investigation into funding of terror and unlawful activities was long overdue".
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