ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s Interior State Minister Talal Chaudhry has alleged that Afghan territory is being used to support terrorist activities inside Pakistan, and said investigators have uncovered an arms network tied to a proscribed organization in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Chaudhry said intelligence-based operations against militants were continuing across the country, and presented video and audio material that he said substantiated the government’s claims.
Action Committee Declared Proscribed
The minister said the so-called Action Committee in Azad Jammu and Kashmir had been declared a proscribed organization on the basis of what he described as concrete evidence. He did not elaborate on the specific legal steps taken against the group.
Arms Network Allegedly Traced to Zia
Chaudhry said what he called the “Tears Crime Network” was facilitating terrorism in Pakistan, and that efforts to trace it began with the arrest of a man identified as Zia.
According to the minister, Zia, a resident of Azad Kashmir, had been involved in the arms trade for the past eight to 10 years. He alleged that for the past two years Zia had been supplying weapons to people close to the proscribed Jammu Kashmir Awami Action Committee.
Chaudhry said Zia was arrested after security forces came under fire, and that investigators recovered information about the network from his mobile phone.
Alleged Contacts and Foreign Links
The minister said Zia was in contact with a man identified as Majid, who he alleged worked closely with Sardar Aman, described as an active member of the proscribed Awami Action Committee. An audio recording of a conversation between the two men was played during the press conference.
Chaudhry further alleged that Zia was in contact with an Afghan national named Zarshad, who he said supplied weapons to the network and operated from different cities in Afghanistan.
The minister also claimed that a government employee identified as Akbar was part of the network.
Ongoing Operations
Chaudhry reiterated that intelligence-based operations against terrorists were ongoing nationwide, and said authorities would continue to pursue those accused of facilitating militant activity.
