ED Exposes PFI’s Network of 13,000 Members Abroad

New Delhi, October 19, 2024: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has revealed that the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) had over 13,000 active members based in Singapore and various Gulf countries, including Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, who were allegedly tasked with fundraising activities. According to the ED’s statement on Friday, these funds were funneled to India to finance PFI’s unlawful and terror-linked activities.

The ED disclosed that the PFI had established structured District Executive Committees (DECs) for Non-Resident Muslims living in these Gulf nations, each of which had specific targets to raise several crores of rupees. The funds collected overseas were then transferred to India through convoluted banking channels and underground “hawala” networks to obscure their origins, eventually reaching PFI operatives to fuel their illegal activities.

The Indian government had officially banned PFI under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on September 28, 2022, following a nationwide crackdown by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that led to the arrest of several PFI leaders. The ED’s recent findings further detail the extent of PFI’s covert operations.

“Investigation has revealed that the real objectives of PFI are different from the ones stated in its constitution,” the ED said in its statement. “While PFI claims to be a social movement, evidence suggests its actual agenda includes forming an organization to carry out an Islamic movement in India through Jihad. Though it claims to use non-violent protest, the methods of protest employed by them are often violent.”

The ED also asserted that PFI was conducting arms training under the guise of Physical Education (PE) classes, where members were taught offensive and defensive techniques, including blows, punches, kicks, and the use of knives and sticks. “These classes were organized on properties registered under fake owners’ names, and PFI does not own any property under its own name,” the agency added.

One significant example highlighted by the ED was the Narath Arms Camp case from 2013 in Kannur District, where PFI was found imparting training in explosives and weaponry. The intention, according to the ED, was to sow discord between different religious communities and prepare its cadres for acts of terrorism.