STATE TIMES NEWS
Srinagar: Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh on Tuesday said Pakistan is gifting drug addiction to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir just like the neighbouring country did with Punjab at the end of militancy.
‘Will locate missing Army jawan’
SRINAGAR: Kashmir’s top cop on Tuesday said the police and security forces have got clues about the missing Army jawan in Kulgam district and expressed confidence that the soldier will be located.
“Few days back, an army jawan, who was on leave, has been reported missing. Police and security forces are carrying out operations and, in view of the clues that are with us, we will be able to locate him,” DGP Dilbag Singh told reporters here. Meanwhile, the search operations to trace soldier Javaid Ahmad Wani entered the third day on Tuesday as investigating teams questioned more suspects in connection with the alleged abduction case.
The soldier, posted in the Ladakh region, was supposed to join work on Sunday but went missing on Saturday evening. His car was found abandoned at Paranhall.
Wani’s father has appealed to those who might have abducted his son to release him alive since he was the only breadwinner of the family.
“I appeal to all the brothers to let him go alive. If he has troubled anyone, I apologise for that. If they want I will get him to quit his job as well,” Mohammad Ayoub Wani told reporters on Sunday.
Wani said his son had gone out to buy meat on Saturday evening as he was to go back to his place of posting on Sunday.
“He told his brother to drop him at the airport tomorrow (Sunday). Sometime later, we got a call that his car was found abandoned with its doors ajar,” the father said. Eyewitnesses claim that there were blood marks in the car but officials have not confirmed or denied it.
Although it is not clear yet if the missing jawan has been abducted by terrorists, he is the fourth soldier to go missing in Kashmir while on leave.
In May 2017, the ultras kidnapped Lieutenant Umer Fayyaz from his uncle’s house in Shopian district where he had gone to attend a wedding.
The young officer was shot dead and his body was found the next morning.
An army soldier, Aurangzeb, was kidnapped by militants while he was on his way home to Poonch from Pulwama district in June 2018. He was later shot dead and the video of his execution was circulated by the ultras.
Another jawan, Sameer Malla was abducted by terrorists in March 2022 and found dead three days later in Budgam district.
“This (drug supply) conspiracy is from Pakistan. In Punjab, drugs were introduced by Pakistan after the end of militancy. Police are eradicating militancy here and Pakistan is sending the same gift to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir as well. The need is to stay alert and defeat this conspiracy,” Singh told reporters here.
The DGP said the police have taken stringent action against the narco-terrorism trade in Jammu and Kashmir and have registered 2,000 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and arrested more than 3,000 persons involved in these cases.
“We have got successes against the narco-terror and weapon trade that is being run from Pakistan. We have intensified our operations. For the first time, such a large number of arrests have been made under the NDPS Act, people involved in this are detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA), and the properties accumulated through narco-terror trade are being targeted,” Singh said.
He said the civil administration and police were making efforts to help rehabilitate the youth who have fallen victim to drug abuse.
“I want to appeal to the children to stay very far from this menace as it is deadly and harmful to society. The ill effects will be felt for a long time,” he added.
Asked about the presence of foreign militants in Kashmir, Singh said they have been neutralised to a large extent.
“Last year, 40 of them were killed and the remaining will also be dealt with. A large number of terrorists killed at the border while infiltrating into Kashmir were foreigners of Pakistani origin,” he said.
