Editorial: Threat from the sky

In recent years, drones have emerged as an effective means to send drugs and weapons into Indian territory from Pakistan

It is no secret that Pakistan has been using all possible ways to foment trouble in India as part of its long-term military doctrine to bleed the neighbour with ‘thousand cuts’. Deploying drones to smuggle drugs and weapons across the border has been the latest addition to its macabre toolkit. If at all proof was needed of this new strategy, it was provided by none other than a top aide of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, Special Assistant on Defence to Pakistan Prime Minister, recently admitted during a television interview that drones are being used to smuggle drugs into India. Khan, who represents Kasur city in the Provincial Assembly, unwittingly let the cat out of the bag while seeking a special package for the rehabilitation of flood victims of his constituency. He expressed apprehension that the victims, if deprived of timely help, could join the smugglers who were using drones to push heroin into India via Kasur, which is located close to the Line of Control. There is no doubt that drone-based drug trafficking is taking place right under the nose of the Sharif government, which is doing little or nothing to deter the smugglers. The candid admission by a top Pakistani adviser does not come as a surprise to the Indian authorities who are aware of the ominous dimension of the Pakistan-backed terrorism model. There have been instances of drone drops in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir.

In 2021, low-flying drones were used to drop the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the attack on the Indian Air Force (IAF) station at Jammu. Using unarmed drones capable of delivering a payload of explosives has been the dream of the terrorist groups as it would amount to changing the complexity and direction of hybrid war. Despite irrefutable evidence, Pakistan has for long been in denial mode about its role in aiding and abetting cross-border terrorism in any form. In recent years, drones have emerged as an effective means to send drugs and weapons into the Indian territory, particularly the border state of Punjab. During last week’s conference on Drug Trafficking and National Security, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had urged Home Minister Amit Shah to make the registration of drones compulsory, while highlighting that unmanned aerial vehicles were increasingly being used for cross-border smuggling of weapons and heroin. In response, Shah had announced that a new drone policy, featuring a host of restrictions, would be unveiled soon. A robust, airtight policy is a must to counter the drone menace. At the same time, Khan’s revelation has given India a new opportunity to corner Islamabad on this pressing issue. The Centre, which is spearheading the nation’s war on drugs, should leave no stone unturned to expose the neighbour on international platforms over its complicity in promoting narco terror.

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