Man arrested during IBO for 'supplying illegal weapons' to banned JAAC in AJK: Talal Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD:

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Wednesday said that security agencies apprehended a man during an Intelligence-Based Operation (IBO) for supplying "illegal weapons to a proscribed organisation, the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

"A man identified as Zia has been operating this illegal network for around 8-10 years in AJK; he has supplied several consignments of weapons over the past two years to people associated with JAAC," said Talal during a press conference in Islamabad.

The minister also said that the network extended beyond arms trafficking and was involved in "smuggling vehicles, petrol and narcotics".

Talal further said that Zia had been in contact with Zarshad, who was based in Afghanistan and supplied illegally acquired weapons to Pakistan.

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He said that another individual, identified as Akbar and described as a government employee, used the cover of his institution to transport weapons from Bara to AJK.

The minister added that Afghanistan was being used as a “super-proxy” to spread unrest in Pakistan, saying that authorities conducted IBOs to dismantle a terrorist network involved in funding and supporting a proscribed JAAC.

He said with authority that the JAAC was not banned for expressing political dissent and stressed that they were outlawed for engaging in illegal activities that can be proved through evidence.

He further stated that the government had fulfilled 37 of the 38 demands of the committee, but the group announced a long march and tried to snub recent elections.

Talal said that around 200 IBOs were conducted across the country every day to contain the threat of terrorism, and the authorities had found that individuals based in Afghanistan were involved in supplying weapons to Pakistan.

‘Jihad and dollar’

Speaking to the media, Chaudhry said, “Civilians and security forces in Pakistan are being targeted in the name of jihad and dollars,” adding that Afghanisation houses terrorist training camps and hideouts that are used to attack Pakistan.

He lamented that these nefarious elements were trying to destabilise the country.

He added that some political parties and political workers, whether knowingly or unknowingly, have become a part of the terrorist crime network.

“If we do not dismantle their terrorist crime network, terrorism would not be eliminated from Pakistan,” he stressed during the press conference.

The minister also opposed the culture of guns and drugs in his speech. He said that the justice system should be strengthened to end terrorism in the region.

“A swift justice system is necessary to eliminate terrorism.”

He also said that there was a need to further strengthen the laws on terrorism while proposing the establishment of a faceless court for the trial of such cases that could deliver speedy verdicts.

If convictions are not secured despite evidence in the cases, terrorist incidents will not stop, he asserted during the press conference.

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“We should not just talk only about the rights of individuals. The state also has rights,” Chaudhry highlighted.

Therefore, he said, all political parties and governments will have to implement state decisions with a unified approach to curb these smuggling networks linked to vehicles, petrol, drugs and other illegal businesses.

Outlining the achievement of the government, Chaudhry said, petrol was no longer being smuggled at a scale that was witnessed in the past, and hence sit-ins are being held in the bordering area. The minister underscored that there were “hardly any” smuggled vehicles plying the roads of Punjab, suggesting a successful crackdown against smugglers.

He also revealed that mobile phones, locations and other evidence had been recovered from individuals involved in the terrorism activities stretching from Afghanistan to Pakistan. Chaudhry announced that there will be many such revelations in the coming days.

The minister also suggested the complete implementation of the National Action Plan to contain criminal and terror-inflicting elements and stressed the need to develop a distinction between political struggle and armed interventions.

“Entire Kashmir is peaceful except for a small no-go area,” he said, asserting that action will be taken against notorious elements if the Kashmir government decides in favour of it. He reiterated that the decision lay completely with political representatives and their will be executed by competent security forces.

“There is no lack of capability among our political forces and intelligence agencies.”

Citing the United Nations, the minister emphasised that there are more than 20 groups or organisations present in Afghanistan that are involved in terrorist activities in foreign countries.