At least 10 pistols and five grenades, tipped to be ferried into the Kashmir valley, were seized in the frontier pocket of Karnah, close to the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir’s Kupwara, on Tuesday.
The Jammu & Kashmir Police said it had carried out an operation based on a tip-off.
“During a search, a huge cache of arms and ammunition, including 10 pistols, 17 pistol magazines, 54 pistol rounds and five grenades, were recovered from Hajam Mohallah, Taad Karnah. Apparently the new consignment was being smuggled for militant activities in the Kashmir valley,” the police said.
Militants have lately stepped up targeted attacks on the security forces in the valley, with pistols used most commonly as weapons.
The police described the operation, which resulted in the seizure of the weapons as: “a timely action of the police and the Army to thwart nefarious designs of the adversary of committing innocent killings”.
Director General of Police Dilbag Singh, talking to the media in Jammu, said Pakistan was trying to smuggle more weapons into Kashmir.
“A number of such attempts were foiled by the security forces in both divisions of Jammu and Kashmir. Every type of weapon, like AK, pistols and grenades are being sent [from across the border]. Pistol bound militants mostly carry out attacks in the city and our effort is to bust all terror modules and seize the smuggled weapons,” Mr. Singh said.
Terming the current situation in Kashmir as “better than the past”, the DGP said militants involved in attacks were being identified and neutralised faster.
He blamed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants for the attack on Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel in Pulwama on Monday, which left one jawan dead. “LeT affiliates are indulging in such activities on the directions from their handlers across the border,” Mr. Singh said. “Those involved are being identified and hopefully will be neutralised soon.”
The DGP said security forces had already stepped up counter-militancy operations.
