Poonch: In addition to sponsoring terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir by sending armed militants, Pakistan is now resorting to narco-terrorism by pushing drugs into the state through the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Poonch: In addition to sponsoring terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir by sending armed militants, Pakistan is now resorting to narco-terrorism by pushing drugs into the state through the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Once drugs are pushed to this side of the LoC, they are supplied to other parts of the state, including the winter capital.

Sources said Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had roped in overground workers (OGWs) of militant organisations in border areas of Rajouri, Mendhar, Balakote, Poonch and other villages and was using them as peddlers to lure youths, especially teenagers, to consume drugs.

“These OGWs in tandem with handlers in Pakistan make use of information technology as well as social media to communicate with each other and get the drug consignment on the LoC before sending it to Poonch and other parts of the state,” said a source.

The trade has been going on the LoC in Poonch district for quite some time. For the past few months, the police have initiated a war against drugs in the district.

“Drugs have become a big menace in the district and they have spread fast. Many youths have become consumers and their parents aren’t aware of this,” Rajiv Pandey, Superintendent of Police (SP), Poonch, told The Tribune.

“The LoC is the major route through which drugs are brought here,” he said.

When asked whether it was part of narco-terrorism, Pandey said, “It appears sometimes as many OGWs are involved in drug peddling. At many places, we have found that drugs recovered were pushed through the LoC by Pakistan. Once even the Army recovered a drug consignment in the Balakote sector that had come from Pakistan.”

In the past few months, the police in Poonch district have recovered a huge quantity of all forms of drugs, including 2.90 kg of heroin, 1.12 kg of cannabis, poppy straw, brown sugar and capsules.

“Senior citizens have shown concern about the rise of drug abuse in the district. Even I am personally very much concerned about it and in a couple of days I will be launching a campaign against the menace. Wherever I go and talk to people, my primary concern remains the drug menace,” the SP said.