Drug trafficking accused arrested after fleeing from NCB custody in J&K

Digital Desk | Jammu, Sep 10 (IANS) Officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) said on Thursday that the drug trafficking accused, who had escaped from custody in J&Ks Jammu city on September 7, has been re-arrested. The officials said the NCB, in coordination with the Jammu and Kashmir Police and Punjab Police, has re-arrested the drug trafficking accused, who had fled from custody in Jammu. The accused had fled from Jammu and travelled towards Jalandhar via the Pathankot route, the officials said. He allegedly took shelter in a forested area near Narwal Fruit Mandi before altering his appearance by shaving his beard and changing his clothes. The official said that following a three-day search and tracking operation across Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, a joint team of NCB Jammu, NCB Amritsar, NCB Chandigarh and Punjab Police traced and apprehended him in Jalandhar. The accused was identified as Aqib Bashir. The accused was preparing to move towards Delhi or another state when he was apprehended. The accused used his contacts in Jalandhar to seek shelter and evade the search teams. Intelligence inputs and field efforts helped the agencies track his location. Aqib Bashir was arrested when he was preparing to move towards Delhi or another state. His initial arrest was part of a month-long operation by the NCB in the Jammu division, which exposed two distinct routes used by narcotic smugglers to push heroin into the union territory from Pakistan through the Uri sector and indirectly via Punjab. The NCB had earlier arrested him with 522 grams of heroin from a passenger bus in Samba district on September 3, the officials said. Further investigation is underway to ascertain the circumstances of his escape and identify those who allegedly provided him shelter and facilitated his movement. Intelligence agencies believe that the major portion of narcotics smuggled into the country from Pakistan is used to sustain terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu NCB tracks down, re-arrests escaped drug peddler from Punjab

Jammu, Sept 10: The Jammu unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau has re-arrested a drug peddler who had escaped from its custody three days ago, an official said on Thursday. The accused was arrested in Punjab's Jalandhar in a coordinated operation by the agency, J-K Police and Punjab Police, an NCB spokesperson said. Aqib Bashir, a resident of Kakapora in Pulwama district, escaped from NCBs custody in Narwal on the intervening night of September 6-7. The NCB had earlier arrested him with 522 grams of heroin from a passenger bus in Samba district on September 3. The NCB, in close coordination with Jammu and Kashmir Police and Punjab Police, has successfully traced and re-arrested Bashir, a notorious drug trafficker who had fled from the NCBs custody in Jammu, the spokesman said. After fleeing from Jammu, he said the accused reached Jalandhar via Pathankot. He initially hid in a forest area near the Narwal fruit mandi. To conceal his identity, he clean-shaved, changed his clothes and altered his appearance, he said. The accused used his contacts in Jalandhar to seek shelter and evade the search teams. Intelligence inputs and field efforts helped the agencies track his location. Bashir was arrested when he was preparing to move towards Delhi or another state, the spokesman said. Bashirs arrest was part of a month-long operation by the NCB in the Jammu division, which exposed two distinct routes used by narcotic smugglers to push heroin into J-K from Pakistan through the Uri sector and indirectly via Punjab. In four interceptions carried out over the past month, along with a linked recovery in Punjab, the NCB has seized 6.920 kg of heroin and arrested six accused.

NCB re-arrests drug accused who fled Jammu custody

Jammu: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), in coordination with the Jammu and Kashmir Police and Punjab Police, has apprehended a drug trafficking accused who had fled from NCB custody in Jammu, officials said. An official said that the accused fled Jammu and travelled towards Jalandhar via the Pathankot route. He allegedly took shelter in a []

Chhapra-Pathankot special train extended till November 25

Jammu, Sep 8: Northern Railways Jammu Division has extended the operational period of the weekly Chhapra-Pathankot-Chhapra special train to meet the expected surge in passenger demand during the festive season. Train No. 05193 from Chhapra to Pathankot will operate every Monday from October 5 to November 23, 2026, completing eight additional trips. In the return direction, Train No. 05194 from Pathankot to Chhapra will run every Wednesday from October 7 to November 25, also making eight trips. The extension will benefit passengers from Pathankot, Jammu Division and adjoining areas travelling towards Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, particularly during Diwali and Chhath Puja. Railway authorities said the additional services would help ease pressure on regular trains and improve the chances of passengers securing confirmed tickets. Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu Division, Uchit Singhal said the extension was aimed at providing greater passenger convenience during the festive rush. Passengers have been advised to check updated timings and halts through the Railways National Train Enquiry System (139), NTES app or official railway website before travelling.

Suspension of the treaty

The whole paradigm of international law has changed in recent years. Given the current global situation, in which conflicts have thrown off the normal course of international affairs, it is important for Pakistan to grasp the reality that trying to manipulate and maneuver the narrative on the Indus Waters Treatyblaming India for choking its river waters under the World Bank-brokered treaty of 1960will only complicate its problems. There is a simple way out of the crisis it is facing: stop cross-border terrorism into India to get some concessions on the water-distribution mechanism. In recent months, it has intensified its anti-India campaign at international forums, perhaps with the hope that the global community will intervene and prevail upon India not to change the course of the treaty, the waters of which form the lifeblood of the country in all senses of the word. There is an element of truth that the waters flowing to Pakistan under the provisions of the treaty are a lifeblood for its population, but the real origin of this crisis cannot be overlooked: its continuous and undiminished support to cross-border terrorism into India. The other point it continues to miss is that the international community cannot talk to India at Pakistans behest to release all the waters without Pakistan changing its attitude. Pakistan is propagating that the international community should intervene and force India to reverse its decision of the unilateral suspension of the treaty, as the waters flowing through these rivers are the lifeblood for its survival as a nation and its future generations. In the given global situation and the standing that India holds in international affairs, Pakistans attempts to bring in international pressure on Delhi to save itself from the catastrophic consequences of its acts of cross-border terrorism are grossly misplaced. The Indus Waters Treaty suspension was not a unilateral act by India; Pakistans provocation became the primary cause. Today, Indias leadership is strong and can take decisions that its preceding governments thought were impractical. The scene has changed, and Pakistan should have looked at this first before making pleas at the international level. It does not have to knock on international doors; it has a simple way to do things on its ownwipe out all terror-breeding nurseries and training centers. That can open a window of opportunity for it. However, Islamabads attempts to internationalize the issue are only queering the pitch for itself. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched a fresh salvo against India during his speech at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, on September 1, 2026. While highlighting the need for river waters, he said, Water is the lifeblood of our region, and charged India with weaponizing it and imperilling lives in Pakistan. He went on to say, It sustains millions of lives, nourishes our land, and secures the very future of our coming generations. He also stated that water should never be weaponized and that binding treaties governing shared waters must be honoured in letter and spirit, adding, It cannot be used as an instrument of coercion, nor can it ever be exploited as political leverage. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has been quite vocal over the damage that the suspension of the treaty will inflict on his country and how this Indian step threatens regional security in South Asia. He is not mincing words in claiming that South Asian regional security could be at a crossroads. This is an explicit threat: Pakistan could take measures in response to the unilateral suspension of activating the treaty that could threaten regional peace and security. He is alerting the international community about an unstable and war-like conflict in the region, implying that the international communityalready bogged down by several simultaneous conflicts in the worldshould wake up to the threat before it is too late. This is a typical Pakistani way of seeking international intervention, reminiscent of the times when it used to project the unresolved Kashmir dispute as a nuclear flashpoint. There are two primary aspects to this: first, Pakistan is feeling the pinch of the Indian decision to keep the treaty in abeyance. The situation threatens to become alarming for Pakistan, one of the most water-stressed states in the world. Chronologically, Islamabad is making repeated references to the Indian decision of April 23, 2025the day when India announced: The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. This decision had an immediate backdrop: twenty-six civilians, mostly tourists, were killed by terrorists in Baisaran, Pahalgam, now better known as the Pahalgam massacre of April 22, 2025. Indias position was clear that the treaty was being kept in abeyance until Pakistan abrogates its support for cross-border terrorism. This terror attack is conveniently removed by Pakistan from its discourse on the treaty while it makes pleas for global attention and intervention. Secondly, nowhere in its narrative at international forums does Pakistan suggest that there was no question of rolling back cross-border terrorism because it claims it has nothing to do with it. It denied its hand in the Pahalgam savagery, where terrorists shot dead touristsincluding newlywedsin front of their families at the tourist resort. Its immediate reaction was to condole the loss of lives in Pahalgam instead of condemning the incident, and it did not urge or extend support to India to take appropriate action against the perpetrators of the carnage in Kashmir. The Pakistani leadership is literate enough to know the difference between condoling and condemning an incident. Several days after Indiataking a cue from the past pattern of such attacksstated that terrorists from across the border had executed this blood-curdling attack on innocent tourists, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared that his country was willing to accept an international probe into the tragic incident, accusing India of blatantly and brazenly blaming Pakistan without substantial evidence. The real reason for this plea was to avert the looming threat that the suspension of the river-waters distribution treaty posed to his country. This theory of an international probe sounded plausible, but something was fishy. In January 2016, India had allowed Pakistani intelligence sleuths to jointly investigate the Pathankot Air Force Station attack, and the result was that Pakistan denied its own hand. That attack had come just a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Pakistan to give a new direction to bilateral relations. When denial is the first and final resort, no investigation can ever be fair and credible. Pakistan was using this plea to pre-empt Indias plans of going ahead with the April 23, 2025 declaration regarding the waters treaty, and to pre-empt the counter-terror operations that India had threatened and later executed under Operation Sindoor. International affairs have undergone a sea change. Pakistan is wasting its time because the international community knows the consequences of supporting Pakistan on this issue: blessing a terror epicenter. Nothing is going to change that stance; Pakistan is wasting its time, energy, and resources in its attempts to internationalize the issue.

J&K Police bust inter-state narcotics smuggling network in Kathua, four arrested

Jammu, Sep 7: Police on Monday busted an inter-state narcotics smuggling network with the arrest of four persons and recovery of over 2.6 kg of opium in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, officials said. Acting on credible intelligence about the movement of narcotics, a police team from Lakhanpur police station laid a check point on the bypass road near Shamshaan ghat and intercepted a truck, they said. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 1.026 kg of opium and the arrest of driver Gurvinder Singh, a resident of Tarn Taran district in Punjab, and his associate Sukhdev Singh, also from Tarn Taran, officials said. During interrogation, Sukhdev disclosed that the consignment had originated in Gujarat and was handed over to him in Rajasthan by an unidentified handler for delivery to a receiver in Punjab, they said. Acting on the disclosure, a police team raided a location in Nakki village in Pathankot, where the intended receiver, Rakesh Kumar, was traced. Police found that the illicit package had been concealed at the residence of Rakesh's neighbour, Ajay Kumar, officials said. A subsequent search of the premises led to the recovery of the remaining contraband, taking the total seizure to 2.672 kg of opium. Rakesh Kumar and Ajay Kumar were also arrested, they said. A case of the NDPS Act has been registered at Lakhanpur police station and further investigation is underway to establish the forward and backward linkages of the inter-state drug network, officials said. The operation was conducted under the overall supervision of Kathua SSP Mohita Sharma, with the police team led by the SHO Lakhanpur and supervised by senior officers, they added.

Elderly protesters brave rain and winds atop 200-foot Pathankot tower

Elderly protesters climb Pathankot tower to demand jobs for kin

Police conduct long-range patrolling, anti-terror mock drill in Samba

Jammu, Aug 11: Ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday conducted long-range patrolling and an anti-terror mock drill in Samba district to assess operational preparedness, strengthen security arrangements and ensure prompt response to any contingency, an official said. The long-range patrolling was conducted by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police, covering nearly 20 km from Jatwal to Lala Chak along the Jammu-Pathankot national highway, a spokesman said. He said it was followed by a mock drill at the border police post in Lala Chak to assess preparedness of personnel in dealing with a simulated terror attack scenario. During the exercise, two simulated terrorists were shown carrying out an attack on an establishment. In response, SOG personnel established a cordon around the area and successfully neutralised the simulated threat, the spokesman said. He said the exercise was aimed at testing the response mechanism, coordination, tactical preparedness and contingency-handling capabilities of personnel. Samba Senior Superintendent of Police Anuj Kumar reiterated police's commitment of maintaining robust security arrangements and ensuring safety of the public, particularly in view of the upcoming Independence Day celebrations.

Punjab Chief Minister to Disburse Honorarium Under Mawan-Dhiyan Sewa Scheme for 3.55 Million Women

Chandigarh, August 1: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann will launch the disbursement of honorarium under the Mawan-Dhiyan Sewa Scheme from Pathankot on Saturday. According to government officials, a total of 3.55 million women will receive the honorarium directly in their bank accounts. Previously, 3.3 million women had already benefited from this scheme. This means ... Read more Punjab Chief Minister to Disburse Honorarium Under Mawan-Dhiyan Sewa Scheme for 3.55 Million Women

Good News For UP, Bihar Travellers: Chhapra-Pathankot Weekly Special Train From July 20

Train will have 19 coaches, including AC Second Class, AC Third Class, Third AC Economy, Sleeper Class, General Second Class, and luggage-cum-generator coaches.

MHA tags 17 from Pakistan and 6 Indians 'individual terrorists'

India has declared 23 individuals from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as terrorists, targeting Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish operatives. Home Minister Amit Shah stated these individuals are involved in anti-India activities, including terror attacks and recruitment. The designated terrorists are linked to significant attacks like Pathankot and the Rameshwaram Cafe blast, with some also involved in reconnaissance for future strikes. This move underscores the government's firm stance against terrorism.

TATA Starbucks Reimagines its Loyalty Program with New Rewards and Enhanced Benefits

TATA Starbucks has announced the launch of its reimagined Starbucks Rewards program, featuring Green, Gold and the newly introduced Reserve tier. The enhanced program is designed to offer members greater value through faster earning, easier redemption and access to a broader suite of rewards, benefits and experiences as they progress through the program. The updated tiers include: Green: The entry tier where members can earn Starbucks Rewards faster, and choose to redeem Rewards of their choice Gold: Customers can get upgraded to Gold by accumulating 1000 Stars within a year of joining Reserve: Comes with a sleek, black personalized card customized with the customers name and the first year they joined the program. Customers can get upgraded on accumulating 5000+ Stars within a year of joining TATA Starbucks Reimagines its Loyalty Program with New Rewards and Enhanced Benefits The Starbucks Rewards program will now offer a host of customer benefits with each level unlocking an expanded portfolio of rewards and experiences as they deepen their engagement with the brand: Faster Earning: Members will earn 1 Star for every Rs.10 spent, with Gold Members earning 1.2X Stars and Reserve Members earning 1.3X Stars on every Rs. 10 spent More Accessible Rewards: Lower redemption thresholds make it easier for members to unlock rewards and enjoy benefits sooner, bringing them closer to the experiences and rewards they value Benefits at Every Level: Members can enjoy a range of benefits including personalized offers, birthday rewards, milestone celebrations, Double Stars Days and member-exclusive offers, ensuring every visit feels more rewarding Enhanced Member Experiences: As members progress through the program, they will also unlock additional benefits including Free Customized Mondays (every member can receive one free modifier on any handcrafted drink), accelerated Star earnings, exclusive merchandise, curated coffee experiences, special event access and other member-only privileges Adrit Mishra, COO, TATAStarbucks , said, At TATA Starbucks, we are constantly looking for ways to strengthen our connection with customers and create experiences that are meaningful, rewarding and personalized. The reimagined Starbucks Rewards program reflects our commitment to delivering greater value to our members by making rewards easier to earn and redeem, while introducing new benefits and experiences that celebrate loyalty. Whether someone is just beginning their Starbucks Rewards journey or is one of our most loyal members, the program has been designed to reward them at every stage. For more information and to start enjoying these rewards, visit the Starbucks India mobile application. About TATA Starbucks Private Limited Starbucks entered the Indian market in October 2012 through a 50/50 Joint Venture with Tata Consumer Products Limited and currently operates more than 506 stores in India across 81 cities, Agra, Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Alibaug, Amritsar, Anand, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Bhatinda, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Calicut, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Faridabad, Gandhinagar, Ghaziabad, Goa, Guntur, Gurgaon, Guwahati, Gwalior, Haridwar, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Indore, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Jodhpur, Kanpur, Kochi, Kolhapur, Kolkata, Lonavala, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mangalore, Meerut, Mumbai, Mussoorie, Mysore, Nagpur, Nashik, New Delhi, Noida, Pathankot, Patiala, Pondicherry, Pune, Raipur, Siliguri, Sonipat, Surat, Thrissur, Trivandrum, Udaipur, Vadodara, Vapi,Vijayawada, Varanasi and Vizag are cities in India. through a network of over 4,305 passionate partners (employees). Starbucks stores are operated by the joint venture, TATA Starbucks Private Limited, and branded as Starbucks Coffee - A TATA Alliance.

Ambitious Shahpur Kandi Project Nears Completion, Bringing Hope to Thousands of Farmers in J&K, Punjab

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh has announced that the long-pending Shahpur Kandi Project on the River Ravi is nearing completion, raising hopes among farmers in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba and Kathua districts. The project is expected to bring irrigation to over 32,000 hectares of barren land in the Kandi belt and benefit thousands of hectares in Punjab's Pathankot district.

Rising Star Corps Commander Reviews Operational Preparedness In Kathua, Pathankot

JAMMU, May 28: The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Rising Star Corps, Lieutenant General Rajan Sharawat, on Thursday visited Pathankot (Punjab) and Jammu and Kashmirs Kathua district and reviewed the operational preparedness of troops deployed in the region. GOC Rising Star Corps reviewed the operational preparedness of troops deployed in Pathankot and Kathua, appreciating their high standards of readiness, seamless integration and exemplary professionalism, the corps said in a post on X. The Rising Star Corps oversees operational areas [] The post Rising Star Corps Commander Reviews Operational Preparedness In Kathua, Pathankot appeared first on Daily Excelsior .

Political Tensions Rise in Punjab Following Harbhajan Singhs Statements

Pathankot, May 23: The political landscape in Punjab has become increasingly heated following remarks made by former cricketer Harbhajan Singh. Ashwini Sharma, the acting president of the BJP Punjab, accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of deceiving the public. He stated that Harbhajan Singh has exposed the truth about the Punjab government. During a conversation ... Read more Political Tensions Rise in Punjab Following Harbhajan Singhs Statements

Pathankot man arrested for sending CCTV feed of forces' movement to Pakistan-based handlers: police

He was also getting directions from an unknown person in Dubai. He was given 40,000, police claimed

Man Arrested in Pathankot for Sharing Troop Movements With Pakistan

During questioning, the accused confessed that he had installed an internet-based CCTV camera at a shop on the NH-44 Pathankot-Jammu Highway in January

Two Students Killed As Bus Overturns On Amritsar-Pathankot National Highway

Chandigarh, May 22: A private bus overturned on the Amritsar-Pathankot national highway on Friday, leaving two students dead and five injured, police said. The deceased, both aged around 23, hailed from Jammu, Station House Officer Rajwant Kaur said. The deceased were students of a college in Punjab, she said, adding that around 10 students were among the passengers travelling in the bus. Five injured, including three who sustained head injuries, were shifted to a hospital in Gurdaspur, the officer said. [] The post Two Students Killed As Bus Overturns On Amritsar-Pathankot National Highway appeared first on Daily Excelsior .

'Pakistan spy': Who is this Punjab man accused of installing CCTV on highway only to send Indian army movement footage to enemy?

A man from Pathankot, Punjab, was arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan-based handlers by installing an internet-enabled CCTV camera to monitor Indian Army and paramilitary movement along NH-44. The accused admitted to installing the camera and receiving payment, with police investigating cross-border links and foreign funding for the operation.

Punjab Man Installs CCTV On Highway, Sends Footage Of Army's Movement To Pakistan

Baljit Singh, a resident of Pathankot, had installed a CCTV camera at a shop near a bridge on the Pathankot-Jammu stretch of the National Highway-44.

Pathankot Man Sends Live Feed Of Forces Movement To Pakistan-Based Handlers; Arrested

Chandigarh/Pathankot, May 21: A resident of Punjabs Pathankot was arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan-based handlers, police said on Thursday. Preliminary investigation revealed that Baljit Singh, a resident of Chakk Dhariwal village, had installed a CCTV camera at a shop located near a bridge on the National Highway-44 to allegedly keep an eye on the movement of the army and paramilitary forces, police said, adding that he was transmitting the live feed to Pakistan-based handlers. During questioning, the accused [] The post Pathankot Man Sends Live Feed Of Forces Movement To Pakistan-Based Handlers; Arrested appeared first on Daily Excelsior .