Aujla meets Tharoor, says narco-terrorism in border dist support India’s stand on Pak

Member of Parliament from Amritsar Gurjit Singh Aujla met Dr Shashi Tharoor, who is leading a delegation of Indian MPs to the US and other countries. Expressing concern over the cross-border drug and arms trafficking and tense situation at the border resulting in loss of livelihood and setback for the economy, Aujla submitted a memorandum to Dr Tharoor and sought national and international intervention to improve the situation in Amritsar.

MP Aujla said that Punjab, especially the border area of Amritsar, has been at the forefront of narco-terrorism, drone warfare and cross-border smuggling of arms for the last 45 years.

“Amritsar, once a thriving commercial and industrial hub, has been facing economic devastation for decades due to policy neglect, terrorism and a complete shutdown of cross-border trade. The smuggling of drugs and weapons from across the border in the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency is not an internal security issue, but a full-fledged external attack being carried out through narco-terrorism and drone warfare, and it should be addressed as such,” said Aujla.

Amritsar, once the pride of North India’s industrial and commercial scene, has now seen its entire industry collapse. Giving information about the declining economy of Amritsar, Aujla said that all the industries like textiles, automobiles, chemicals, hosiery, carpet etc are in turmoil now. “This destruction started with Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in 1984, and since then, the economic decline has worsened. As a result, people started moving out of Amritsar and Punjab. No recovery plan was ever seriously implemented. Before partition, Amritsar was a major commercial centre, with a per capita income on par with Mumbai and Calcutta. However, its economic condition has deteriorated considerably in recent years. Trade routes, which once extended through Afghanistan to Iran and Iraq, were disrupted, especially with the rise of terrorism, leading to a sharp decline in business,” he said.

Mentioning Lahore, he said its population has crossed 10 million and is growing. Meanwhile, despite its heritage, talent and strategic location, Amritsar’s total GDP income is barely Rs 30 lakh. “This economic disparity is not natural —- it has been created by decades of targeted terrorism and policy neglect,” said Aujla. With the border closed once again after the recent India-Pak military escalation, livelihoods have once again been compromised.