All out efforts to check intrusions
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 26: Amidst alert on the borders following use of drones by Pakistan to transport weapons from the International Border (IB) in Punjab, Director General (DG) BSF Vijay Kumar Johri today visited forward areas of Jammu and Punjab to review the situation and take all precautionary measures to prevent repeat of use of drones by the enemy.
Johri visited the International Border at Bamyal and Paharipur in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district and Tarn Taran in Punjab where he inter-acted with top BSF officials and held on spot review of situation prevailing on the borders including preparedness to thwart infiltration attempts by the militants and smuggling of weapons through drones, which was reported from Tarn Taran few days back.
The BSF chief was briefed on the situation by the officers, who accompanied him to the forward areas.
Sources said all steps required to meet with any kind of eventuality on the borders with Pakistan were reviewed by the DG BSF.
Few days back, a large consignment of arms, ammunition and explosives was recovered on Tarn Taran border in Amritsar district which had been smuggled from Pakistan using drones. The half-burnt drone was seized from the spot. The drone had reportedly been burnt by the militants after it became non-functional.
There have also been reports that number of militants were camping at the launch pads with a view to infiltrate into the Indian territory. The BSF was maintaining high alert along the borders to thwart intrusion bids.
Meanwhile, the BSF has launched a massive operation along the 180-km International Border (IB) with Pakistan to detect underground, cross-border tunnels in view of possible infiltration attempts by armed militants into Jammu and Kashmir, sources said.
Armed with modern tools and equipment, BSF personnel began the operation with clearing bushes and digging and tilling the land close to the three-tier border fencing up to the Zero Line with Pakistan.
“The exercise has been launched along the IB in the Jammu frontier area to detect cross-border, underground tunnel,” sources said.
They said the troops had been asked to dig anti-tunneling trenches of a particular depth along the border fencing in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts.
Meanwhile, taking serious note of Pakistan using Chinese drones to airdrop weapons in Punjab, the Army and BSF have sounded an all-out alert along the entire Indo-Pak border and LoC, asking boarder guarding troops and observation posts to keep a “hawk’s eye” over similar air-intrusions in future.
The Army and BSF officials said the troops and observation posts have been asked to maintain the highest possible vigilance along the International Border and Line of Control in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, Poonch, Baramulla and Kupwara districts of the State.
“It is a new modus operandi of Pakistan to smuggle arms, ammunition and explosives in India for triggering terror. We have activated our forces to keep a hawk’s eye on movement of drones along the IB,” BSF officials said.
The BSF is also patrolling riverine areas along the IB and has deployed water patrol teams in the Chenab river to foil terrorists’ design to infiltrate into India from Pakistan, they said.
They have been told to shoot down any drone intruding into the Indian airspace, sources said.
The Army has also intensified patrolling in mountainous valleys and riverine areas along the LoC in Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch and Rajouri districts to check intrusion of drones from Pakistan and infiltration by terrorists.
The troops along the LoC are on the highest degree of alertness in the wake of Pakistan’s plans to assist infiltration and use drones to smuggle weapons, sources said.
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