Punjab has witnessed a sharp surge in cross-border arms smuggling from Pakistan. According to official data, 362 weapons were seized in 2025, compared to just 81 in 2024. More than 50 individuals were arrested in 2025 for arms smuggling, including drone couriers and intended recipients assigned terrorist missions within the state. Authorities attribute this escalation to retaliatory actions by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) following India’s Operation Sindoor, which targeted terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Data compiled by the Khalistan Extremism Monitor (KEM) reveals a notable rise in both incidents and arrests. Between January and September 2025, 519 persons were arrested in 246 arms seizure cases involving 634 weapons, including 540 pistols, seven rifles, four revolvers, four guns, 49 hand grenades, three RPGs, seven knives, five IEDs, 11.77 kilograms of RDX, and 14 unspecified weapons along with 4,059 rounds of ammunition. During the same period in 2024, authorities arrested 499 individuals across 186 incidents involving 519 weapons and 2,203 rounds of ammunition. The data indicates a broad escalation in both scale and lethality of cross-border trafficking.

Punjab’s........

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