Pakistan-facilitated narcotics trafficking into India constitutes a deliberate grey-zone strategy, blending profit with subversion and demanding greater US attention. Drug proceeds fund anti-India Salafi-Jihadist groups, erode social stability, and sustain transnational networks, undermining Indo-US strategic convergence. India's Narcotics Control Bureau reported drone-related trafficking cases along the India-Pakistan border skyrocketed from three in 2021 to 179 in 2024, with 163 incidents in Punjab.
In 2025, India’s Border Security Force seized 272 drones and over 367 kg of heroin. Maritime routes are also exploited, with an April 2024 interception yielding 86 kg of narcotics valued at nearly $62 million. The US should expand real-time intelligence sharing with India, use targeted sanctions against traffickers, and link counter-narcotics performance to security assistance with Islamabad. This is crucial for protecting a vital democratic partner and disrupting terror financing across South Asia.
No comments:
Post a Comment