Jammu:
Twenty-three years of insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir have seen security forces recover nearly 50,000 weapons, including 30,859 AK assault rifles, according to a recent report on militancy compiled by the state Home Ministry.
The list of 49,627 weapons recovered till November-end also includes 11,576 pistols and revolvers along with 1,028 universal machine guns, 80 carbines, 2,264 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 221 light machine guns/self-loading rifles, 306 .303 rifles, 394 sniper rifles, 69 general purpose machine guns and 2,830 rocket boosters.
The AK rifles recovered include those of the 47, 56, 74 series. While 160 AK assault rifles were were recovered this year as compared to 177 pieces in 2011, the highest number seized was 3,504 rifles, in 1992.
Similarly, 181 pistols were recovered in 2012 as against 162 in 2011 with the highest cache of 1,052 seized in 1996.