DG Khan: ‘Border Military Police failing to stop weapons, drugs trade’
Intelligence report warns of terrorist threat on Zinda Pir urs.
The sale of illegal arms and narcotics continues and people openly carry prohibited weapons in the urs, report says. PHOTO:FILE
LAHORE:
The Home Department should consider an overhaul of the Border Military Police in view of its inability to stop the display and sale of illegal arms and narcotics in the tribal region of Dera Ghazi Khan, according to an intelligence report shared with security agencies.
The Border Military Police falls under the Home Department and is responsible for security in the tribal areas of DG Khan as well as the border region of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan.
The report, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, warns that a terrorist attack on the urs of Zinda Pir, which is to conclude on April 13, is a possibility in view of the lax security.
“The sale of illegal arms and narcotics continues and people openly carry prohibited weapons like AK-47s without fear of the Border Military Police in the urs of Zinda Pir,” says the report.
The area has long been a hotspot for the illegal arms and narcotics trades, it added.
The possibility of a terrorist attack on the urs cannot be ruled out since the shrine and attached cave and pond are accessible from various routes, it said. “Furthermore, being a tribal area, the overall situation is more fragile compared to the settled areas, with the BMP solely responsible for security arrangements.” It states.
The report calls for close coordination and information sharing among all intelligence agencies to help foil any terrorist designs, as well as to catch the arms traders.
Stringent security measures are also warranted, it added.
The Home Department should consider an overhaul of the Border Military Police in view of its inability to stop the display and sale of illegal arms and narcotics in the tribal region of Dera Ghazi Khan, according to an intelligence report shared with security agencies.
The Border Military Police falls under the Home Department and is responsible for security in the tribal areas of DG Khan as well as the border region of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan.
The report, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, warns that a terrorist attack on the urs of Zinda Pir, which is to conclude on April 13, is a possibility in view of the lax security.
“The sale of illegal arms and narcotics continues and people openly carry prohibited weapons like AK-47s without fear of the Border Military Police in the urs of Zinda Pir,” says the report.
The area has long been a hotspot for the illegal arms and narcotics trades, it added.
The possibility of a terrorist attack on the urs cannot be ruled out since the shrine and attached cave and pond are accessible from various routes, it said. “Furthermore, being a tribal area, the overall situation is more fragile compared to the settled areas, with the BMP solely responsible for security arrangements.” It states.
The report calls for close coordination and information sharing among all intelligence agencies to help foil any terrorist designs, as well as to catch the arms traders.
Stringent security measures are also warranted, it added.