A senior official within the Pakistani government has acknowledged that Pakistani smugglers are employing drones to transport illegal drugs, predominantly heroin, into Indian territory. Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, the Special Assistant on Defence to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, made these statements during an interview with journalist Hamid Mir, associated with Pakistan’s Geo News.
In the video interview posted on July 17, conducted by the Pakistani journalist, Malik Khan revealed that drug smugglers are using drones in the flood-affected areas of Kasur, near the Pakistan-India border, to carry heroin. He also urged for a special rehabilitation package for the flood victims, warning that they might otherwise be drawn into the illegal activities of the smugglers.
When questioned about cross-border narcotics smuggling in Kasur, Malik Khan confirmed its occurrence, expressing his regret over the situation. He mentioned that there have been recent incidents where drones transported 10 kg of heroin each across the border. He stated that relevant agencies are actively addressing the issue.
On the Indian side, security forces have intercepted several drones carrying contraband in recent times. The Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police, Dilbag Singh, previously reported that measures had been taken to combat incidents of drones dropping weapons and drugs sent from Pakistan.
Recently, the Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police found a damaged Pakistani drone in a farming field near Mastgarh village in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district. The recovered drone was identified as a Quadcopter, DJI Matrice 300 RTK model. Earlier, the BSF had thwarted attempts by smugglers by seizing heroin dropped by Pakistani drones in different incidents near the International Border in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district.
On June 29, approximately 5.120 kg of suspected heroin was retrieved, dropped by a Pakistani drone in farming fields near Village Khalra in Tarn Taran district. Additionally, on June 24, BSF troops shot down a Pakistani drone that intruded into Indian airspace in Punjab’s Tarn Taran sector, and on another occasion, they brought down a Pakistani drone in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district.
In another instance, on June 22, the BSF in Punjab’s Fazilka found a Pakistani drone (DJI Matrice 300 RTK) along with approximately 2 kg of suspected heroin near the international border in Jodhawala village of Fazilka district.
Similarly, BSF personnel in Rajasthan’s Bikaner recovered a drone from the Pakistani side, along with two packets of suspected narcotics near the Rawla border.
