Drones from Pak

MALIK Muhammad Ahmad Khan, Special Assistant on Defence to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has admitted during a TV interview that drones are being used to smuggle drugs across the border into India. Khan, who represents Kasur city in the Provincial Assembly, let the cat out of the bag while seeking a special package for the rehabilitation of flood victims of his constituency. He expressed the apprehension that the victims, if deprived of timely help, could join the smugglers who were using drones to push heroin into India via Kasur, which is located close to the Line of Control.

This admission by the PM’s adviser leaves no room for doubt that drone-based drug trafficking is taking place right under the nose of the Sharif government, which is doing little or nothing to deter the smugglers. Despite irrefutable evidence, Pakistan has for long been in the denial mode about its role in aiding and abetting cross-border terrorism in any form. In recent years, drones have emerged as an effective means to send drugs and weapons into Indian territory, particularly the border state of Punjab. During last week’s conference on Drug Trafficking and National Security, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had urged Home Minister Amit Shah to make the registration of drones compulsory, while highlighting that unmanned aerial vehicles were increasingly being used for cross-border smuggling of weapons and heroin. In response, Shah had announced that a new drone policy, featuring a host of restrictions, would be unveiled soon.

A robust, airtight policy is a must to counter the drone menace. At the same time, Khan’s revelation has given India a golden opportunity to corner Pakistan on this pressing issue. The Union Government, which is spearheading the nation’s war on drugs, should leave no stone unturned to expose the neighbour on international platforms over its complicity in promoting narco terror.

#Pakistan #Shehbaz Sharif