KNZ NEWS DESK
JAMMU- Asserting that Jammu has always remained a target of Pakistan and its agencies, Director General of Police Dilbag Singh on Sunday said militants are planning to set up their hideouts here to receive arms and ammunition from across the border and smuggle it to Kashmir.
However, the Jammu and Kashmir Police is alert to the challenge, he added.
Singh said the arrest of Lashker-e-Mustafa chief from the Kunjwani area of Jammu on Saturday reflects the determination of the force to scuttle the nefarious designs of the neighbouring country sponsoring militants and drugs in the union territory.
“Jammu has always remained a target of Pakistan, its sponsored militant outfits, ISI and the agencies running militancy in J&K. In the past, religious places were repeatedly targeted and a grenade attack had taken place on a temple in Rajouri in the recent past.
“Police have got inputs and are taking action (to foil any attempt to disturb peace and harm the communal harmony),” the police chief told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
Singh said the recently floated Lashkar-e-Mustafa is an offshoot of the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit and majority of its members were arrested in Kashmir or Jammu.
“The questioning of its commander (who was arrested in Jammu city on Saturday) is going on and his disclosure suggests that they wanted to spread militancy to Jammu and set up hideouts so that they can dump the arms and ammunition received from Pakistan before smuggling to Kashmir or any other place,” he said.
The DGP said he was happy that the police arrested the militant on time and the plan was thwarted.
“The Jammu as well as Kashmir police are working in coordination and are ready to face any challenge with determination…We have a cent percent success rate in the cases where police seized arms and ammunition and drugs which were airdropped by drones or smuggled by other means,” he said.
Singh said Pakistan is playing with the lives of the youth by luring them into militancy, using drugs to ruin their lives and also smuggling contraband to use the money for militants.
“All these three things are happening together from Pakistan. The menace of drugs is a major challenge as it is well organised with the support and sponsorship of Pakistan,” he said.
The DGP said both Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab share borders with Pakistan and remain the target for drug trafficking.
“We have seen the recovery of a truck-load of 685 kgs of drugs at Attari border in Punjab in recent times. BSF also seized the biggest haul of drugs when it recovered 66 kgs of narcotic substance from the Arnia sector of J&K.
“We have successfully foiled repeated drug smuggling attempts in Kupwara and Baramulla in north Kashmir and Poonch, Rajouri and Samba in Jammu region. Police have gone all out against the menace and have managed to seize the contraband being smuggled out of J&K,” he said.
However, he said, there are various modes of transportation and chances are that a few consignments might have reached their destinations after escaping the vigilant forces.
“We all have to come together to continue our fight against the menace with more vigour,” he said.
