Just a day after a group photo of smiling young Kashmiri men, allegedly terror recruits in army fatigues is being widely circulated on Facebook, one of the most influential and high ranking intelligence officers of India has bombed an allegation that Indian intelligence agencies have over the years, often paid militants and separatists, along with mainstream politicians and political parties in the Kashmir Valley.

In the first ever admission of its kind, former RAW Chief AS Dulat asked, "So what's wrong? What is there to be so shocked or scandalized by. It's done the world over."

Talking about his controversial book: ”Kashmir - The Vajpayee years”, Mr Dulat elaborated that the Indian government had quite often paid for the air fares, medical treatment and general upkeep of even hardened pro-Pakistan separatists like Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Saying that India's spooks had been in touch with everyone "Separatists and militants", Mr Dulat also argued that one of India's most wanted terrorists Syed Salahuddin had been in touch with him and was ready to leave Pakistan and return to India. Defending the use of money in the Kashmir valley, he said it was done in the hope of engaging militants and separatists and also to compete for influence with the ISI. "Corrupting someone with money is more ethical and smarter than killing him," Mr Dulat said wryly.

Before that on Friday, a photo featured a group of 11 men seem to be holding AK 47 rifles did rounds in social media. The photo was taken at an unknown location. The police in Jammu and Kashmir allege that the men belong to the terror group Hizbul Mujahideen, and are active in south Kashmir.

The image has caught the attention of security forces, who call it an attempt to glorify terror and draw in more men. They say they will block the sites where the image was uploaded.

The police have in the past blocked pages for "spreading anti-national content."

Among the men in the photograph is a former personal security guard to a minister, who had run away with two rifles in March. The police say one of them is a top Hizbul Mujahideen operative.

- Manohar