Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Pakistan’s ISI isn’t lurking in shadows—it’s signing paychecks. Intelligence insiders say up to $250 million flows directly from state coffers to jihadist groups, funding everything from suicide bonuses to sniper salaries.
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Behind the AK-47s and martyr posters is a booming black market. Terror networks rake in billions through heroin routes, carjackings, and arms bazaars—fueling an underworld economy that bankrolls endless jihad.
Not all charity is pious. Investigators expose how jihad-linked NGOs siphon off zakat and donations—over 600 billion rupees in 2024 alone—turning alms for the poor into grenades and bullets for militancy.
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From Birmingham to Dubai, overseas Pakistanis unwittingly—or willingly—funnel millions into terror coffers via hawala. Intelligence reports say these shadowy lifelines prop up jihad even when local funds dry.
Militants thrive on Pakistan’s cash chaos. High-value notes, counterfeit bills, and untraceable transfers grease the jihad economy, eluding regulators and empowering terror bosses to bankroll carnage.
In the jihad economy, heroin buys AKs. A cross-border barter system trades narcotics for arms, while local businesses are strong-armed into paying ‘protection taxes’ that line terror war chests.
Suicide bombers, guides, recruiters—every jihadist has a salary slip. Foreign fighters can earn ₹12,000 a month, while commanders pocket ₹50,000. Even death has a price, with families cashing in posthumous bonuses (Pakistani rupees).
In Kashmir, get ₹20,000. In Pakistan, the family gets ₹2 lakh. The jihad economy ensures the business of martyrdom comes with festival bonuses, widow stipends, and prestige perks.
The jihad economy isn’t just crime—it’s strategy. Pakistan’s state-sponsored militants double as geopolitical tools, keeping neighbors bleeding while Islamabad hides behind a veil of ‘deniability diplomacy.’