“Drugs trade being used by terrorist handlers in Pak to replenish funds”
STATE TIMES NEWS
SRINAGAR: The ongoing assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are for the first time being held without any fear as electioneering is much more enthusiastic and the voter turnout higher than previous years, Director General of Police R R Swain said on Monday.
Swain said while there were no parameters to compare the situation on the ground during the current assembly elections and the ones held earlier, the change was palpable and and felt through the campaigns.
“Earlier, the fear was on our side, meaning whosoever was participating in elections, standing as a candidate, or voting or playing the role of president officer or polling staff, he was afraid. He was nervous, he felt guilty, he felt small and as if he was on the wrong side of the divide. That has changed,” Swain told PTI.
He said the change has come about due to a combined “virtuous cycle of people’s courage to be able to see through the game of the adversary and, of course, the government’s effort, the law enforcement and the media which has dared to report the things as they are.”
“…Fear-free elections are taking place now in which people are electioneering, door-to-door campaigns are going on, rallies are taking place. I think it is difficult to measure but it is palpable and you can feel it. That is perhaps what is most remarkable about this year’s elections,” he added.
Asked if the terrorists’ capability to strike have been dented, he said it was not impossible for a “madman with a weapon” to hit a soft target.
“The capability of terrorists and their networks has certainly been degraded but if some madman with a weapon decides to go to carry out soft targeting, it is not impossible for him,” he said.
Talking to reporters, the DGP said that the proceeds of the narcotics trade are being used by terrorist handlers in Pakistan to replenish their depleting funds, caused by a crackdown on “hawala” channels, to fuel terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Narcotics are turning out to be a main source of funding for terrorism. It is a triple whammy for our society. The traditional hawala channels used for funding terrorism have been largely blocked. I think the proceeds from narcotics are being used to compensate for that..
He said there is a link between the narcotics trade and terrorism, which has now been established beyond any doubt.
“It is an old but relevant question. I have said this earlier as well that the link was not clear earlier. Until about two years ago, the link was not established by investigation. But today, investigations by the SIA and other agencies have proved that the source of the drugs is in Pakistan.
“The main source of drugs on the other side (of the border) today has had a history of being associated with some terror organisations,” Swain added.
He said the heroin sold in the markets of Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere in the country is coming from across the border.
“Backward linkages have shown that terror handlers from across the border are sending it here. We do not have opium growing here, we do not have the units where it can be processed,” Swain said.
Explaining how the money generated by the drugs trade is used for funding terror, the DGP cited the case of former Jammu and Kashmir minister Babu Singh.
“Once the drugs arrive, those are distributed…. Some are consumed locally and the rest goes to other parts of the country. Then a reverse trail of the money starts, which runs into crores of rupees. One of the cases is of Babu Singh. Rs 6 lakh were recovered from him with which he was to start a terror cell. When we tracked the money, we found out that it was just a portion of the total amount. The rest was given to former terrorists. We seized 30 kg of narcotics in Ramban recently. While investigating, we seized Rs 5 crore from Punjab,” he added.
Swain said police and the prosecution have made the fight against narcotics a top priority.
“There is something that inspires confidence in the criminal justice administration system. The system is coming back to life. It is not as if the system is completely defunct.
“Up to July 15 this year, that is in (the first) seven months (of the year), we have had 150 convictions in NDPS cases. It is not as if we have got all of it right as there were 107 acquittals and 12 discharges, but we are working on it,” he said.
A senior official of the prosecution department said they have sought the sanction to appeal against the acquittal of the accused in 60 cases.
“So far, we have received the sanction for 45 cases and we have filed appeals in higher courts. The remaining cases are pending with the government,” he added.
The DGP said there is a scheme of awards to recognise the hard work in getting these convictions.
“We give the DG’s commendation certificate and a cash award to the team — both the investigation team and the prosecution,” he said.
The DGP cited several cases lodged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, in which the accused were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for 10 to 20 years.
He said during the past year, property attachment of drug peddlers has gone up by 40 to 45 per cent.
