Evenas intelligence agencies are not unaware of the fact, Pakistan's Inter-ServicesIntelligence (ISI) continues to pump illegal drugs into India through Punjab --the state lying on the border between the two neighbouring countries.
Andheroin has been the major narcotic being smuggled into India to generate fundswhich, experts indicate, are used to fund militancy in Kashmir.
Afterheroin, poppy is the second most smuggled drug followed by opium.
Asper the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) data collated from all frontiers on the3,323 km India-Pakistan border, over 979 kg of heroin was seized from thePunjab frontier in the last two-and-a-half years from January 1, 2019 to May 31this year.
Smugglingof drugs from Pakistan was at its peak in 2020 during the last three years when506.241 kg of heroin was seized at the Punjab border. The number was almosthalf in 2019 when 232.561 kg heroin was confiscated.
TillMay 31 this year, the data reveals, a total of 241.231 kg of heroin was seized.
Besidesheroin, opium and poppy have also been the choice of smuggling but the numberwas comparatively very less. Poppy is the second most preferred drug beingsmuggled from Pakistan after heroin.
Poppyis mainly smuggled into India through the Rajasthan frontier. A total of 23 kgpoppy has so far been seized at the Rajasthan border till May 31 this year. Thenumber of poppy recoveries was 70 kg in 2020 and 54 kg in 2019.
Inall the recoveries, the Border Security Force (BSF), one of the seven CentralArmed Police Forces (CAPFs), played a key role as they seized these narcoticdrugs at the border before it reached the drug smugglers in Punjab andRajasthan.
Alongwith the BSF, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) plays a key role in curbingthe drug menace in India. It has seized many consignments of drugs in jointraids with the BSF troopers based on inputs.
Thevicious cycle of drug trafficking from Pakistan linking terrorists and theISI's role was uncovered in late 2018 when the Indian Army and the intelligencearm of the Union Finance Ministry, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence(DRI), seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition and drugs, including heroinworth Rs 105 crore, during a joint operation conducted near the Line of Control(LoC) at Chamb (Akhnoor Sector) in Kashmir.
Itwas the first time when the agencies here came to know about the directinvolvement of terrorists in smuggling drugs meant to be pushed into Punjab.The strong connection between the terrorists operating in the Valley and thedrug traffickers in Punjab was also unravelled then.
Theagencies then also came to know about how terrorists are facilitating themovement of drugs from across Pakistan to Punjab by acting as couriers. Themoney being paid by the drug traffickers of Punjab is used by terrorists tofund the purchase of sophisticated weapons to foment terror in Kashmir.
Despitethe fact being known to the agencies, the ISI, whom the intelligence agenciessee as the brain behind all illegal cross border activities against India, didnot change its tactics and keeps pushing drugs mostly through the bordertouching Punjab.