Islamabad, September 16, 2026: Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Wednesday claimed that authorities had uncovered a terror-crime network allegedly linked to the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), with the network receiving arms from Afghanistan.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the minister said the network was uncovered during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) that began with the tracing and arrest of a man identified as Zia, a resident of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Chaudhry said Zia had allegedly been operating as a weapons dealer for the past eight to 10 years and had supplied weapons to people associated with the banned JAAC over the past two years.
According to the minister, Zia was in contact with a person named Majid, whom he described as a close associate of Sardar Aman, an active member of the proscribed JAAC.
During the press conference, Chaudhry played what he described as a phone conversation between Zia and Majid, in which the two allegedly discussed different types of weapons and their supply.
The minister further claimed that Zia was connected to another man, Zarshad, who allegedly transported weapons from Afghanistan to Bara in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Chaudhry played another purported phone conversation in which the two men allegedly discussed the supply of assault rifles and ammunition.
He also alleged that a government employee had facilitated the transportation of weapons to the region and claimed that members of the political class were involved in the wider terror-crime network.
The minister said the network was not limited to weapons trafficking, with other reports quoting him as alleging links to the smuggling of vehicles, petrol and narcotics.
At the outset of the press conference, Chaudhry said around 200 intelligence-based operations were being conducted across the country every day.
He alleged that Afghan territory was being used for terrorism in Pakistan and described Afghanistan as a “super proxy”, alleging that India sponsored terrorists while Afghanistan was being used as a base for terrorist activity.
The AJK government declared the JAAC a proscribed organisation under the Anti-Terrorism Act on June 5, accusing it of involvement in terrorism and violent activities.
Chaudhry said the federal government’s decision to support the ban had been taken on the basis of available evidence.
He also played earlier media reports concerning violence allegedly involving the banned organisation, saying the reports had subsequently been questioned by some quarters.
The government has previously accused the proscribed group of using violent tactics and challenging the writ of the state. AJK authorities have also reported the recovery of sophisticated weapons during operations linked to unrest in the region.
The allegations regarding JAAC’s links to terrorism and weapons trafficking remain claims by Pakistani authorities; the group has rejected accusations that it is a militant organisation and has disputed the government’s characterisation of its activities.
Chaudhry’s latest allegations come amid continued security operations and heightened scrutiny of weapons trafficking and militant networks allegedly operating across Pakistan’s western border.
