Drones from Pakistan dropping off arms in Punjab: Police find an ISI-Khalistan terror link

New Delhi, Sep 25: From trying to revive terrorism in Punjab to using Khalistan terrorist forces, the ISI is trying every trick up its sleeve.

Investigations being conducted by the police after it was found that drones were used to drop off arms and ammunition in Punjab suggest that there was a hand of the Khalistan Zindabad Force in it.

The ISI which has been shielding operatives of the KZF, Babbar Khalsa International and other Khalistan terror groups had been using the networks of these groups to smuggle in the arms and then transport it to Jammu and Kashmir.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said that recent incidents of Pakistan-origin drones dropping consignments of arms and ammunition is a new and serious dimension on Pakistan's sinister designs in the aftermath of Article 370 being abrogated. He urged the Home Minister to solve this problem at the earliest.

The statement comes in the wake of a serious concern being reported in Punjab, where heavy lifting drones have found to be dropping a large number of AK-47 rifles and grenades from across the border.

Investigations have shown that these weapons were being dropped off in Punjab are meant to be transported to Jammu and Kashmir. Over the past 10 days, the drones are said to have carried out 8 sorties to drop the weapons, which also include satellite phones.

The heavy lifting drones can carry up to 5 kilograms and also capable of flying fast and low to evade detection, a source in the Punjab Police informed OneIndia. The first clues came in after the police found a burnt drone at Tarn Taran. The drone was burnt down by the terrorists after it failed to fly back to Pakistan.

This led to the recovery of arms and ammunition in Amritsar near the Pakistan border. There has been enhanced activity by Pakistan especially on the Punjab border. The intention is to drop off as many arms and other material so that it can be smuggled into Jammu and Kashmir for the terrorists over there to use.

Counter Intelligence Officials tell OneIndia that the focus for the ISI is on J&K. With security at an all time high, it is unable to move the arms through the border. Hence the ISI has been using the Punjab border to drop off the arms. Further the agency has also directed the operatives of the KZF and BKI to activate its networks and help move the consignment into Jammu and Kashmir. The ISI has been looking to launch a major strike in J&K and hence wants to facilitate the terrorists there with arms and ammunition.

Earlier, the Intelligence issued an alert after it was found that 8 Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists were plotting an attack on an Indian Air Force base in J&K.

The IB warning states that terrorists of the Jaish-e-Mohammad are looking to carry out this attack. It has further been warned that the JeM had trained 8 of its terrorists for this attack.

This alert comes in the wake of another warning that was issued last week in which it was said that the Jaish-e-Mohammad had started training 40 jihadis to strike in India.

Incidentally, these terrorists are undergoing rigorous training at the Ballot facility of the JeM that was hit by the Indian Air Force.

The information that is based on Intelligence gathering suggests that these 40 jihadis are being trained to strike at Jammu and Kashmir as well as other parts of the country. In the past few weeks, the Intelligence has indicated that Pakistan would up the ante and strike at various locations that include, Maharashtra, Gujarat and some of the southern states. After the IAF strikes, the Balakot facility had been shut down. However, this is for the first time that the facility has been activated following the strike.

In March 2019, the IAF had hit the terror facility and also managed to destroy four intended targets.