Frontier Corps thwarted a major smuggling attempt of foreign weapons originating from Afghanistan. On January 8, a truck carrying a large cache of arms was intercepted at the Ghulam Khan border terminal.

A statement from the FC said that the seized weapons included 26 M16 rifles, 292 magazines for M16 and M4 rifles, over 10,000 rounds of ammunition, nine AK-47 magazines with 244 rounds, 744 rounds for a light machine gun, and a large quantity of linkers. The weapons were concealed in hidden compartments within the truck’s driver’s cabin. The construction of these compartments and the packaging of the weapons are believed to have taken place in Afghanistan.

Authorities believe the weapons were destined for use in terrorist activities within Pakistan. This seizure follows previous incidents where foreign weapons have been recovered from terrorist groups, specifically linking them to foreign fighters.

The discovery highlights concerns that Afghan territory continues to be used to support terrorism against Pakistan, despite denials from the Afghan Taliban and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The presence of TTP leadership and fighters in Afghanistan, and the facilitation of their operations through Afghan checkpoints, strongly suggests collusion between the Taliban and the TTP. Pakistani authorities believe this suggests the TTP operates under the protection of the Afghan Taliban.

Pakistan says that it opened its border terminals to alleviate the economic hardships of Afghan citizens. However, the Taliban and TTP’s continued allowance of such activities undermines these efforts and exacerbates the difficulties faced by vulnerable Afghan traders, officials say.