In startling revelations raising major concerns in terms of country’s internal security, the security forces have observed the illegal entry of no less than 171 drones into Indian territory through the India-Pakistan border along the Punjab sector from neighbouring Pakistan in the past nine months.

As per the data available, the “UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) observation in Indo-Pak border was seen in Punjab and Jammu frontier with effect from January 1, 2022, to September 30, 2022”, and total 191 drones, including 20 in Jammu sector, entered Indian territory from neighbouring Pakistan.

Data also revealed that with most of these drones or UAVs managed to flee, seven have been shot down by the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel. These seven drones were shot down this year between January 1 and September 15 in Punjab’s Amritsar, Ferozepur and Abohar regions, with first drone shot down by the BSF on January 18 in Amritsar near Havelian Border Out Post (BoP).

Punjab police has all along been maintaining that drones are being used by Pakistan to transport weapons, explosives, and narcotics across the international border in Punjab.

Meanwhile, the BSF Director-General Pankaj Kumar Singh on Wednesday said that the Force is alive to the threat of drones in Punjab from across the border with Pakistan and is working to counter it.

Singh, interacting with the reporters after inaugurating a new administrative block of the headquarters of Special DG, BSF (Western Command), said: “Drones are an issue, and these come from across the border for all sorts of undesirable activities…Mainly drugs and weapons are being smuggled in like this.”

On other challenges faced by the BSF, the DG, without naming Pakistan, said attempts are being constantly made to infiltrate people to create disturbance in the country. “But we have a very elaborate intelligence set up. Combining efforts with different agencies like the state police and the Army, we try to thwart their designs,” he added.

The BSF guards over 6,300 kilometres of India’s border with Pakistan, including 553 kilometres Punjab’s border.

Touching upon the efforts to counter drones and other challenges, Singh said: “We share a long border, and keeping electronic and anti-drone systems at each and every spot probably is not possible. Though it will come with time.”

The BSF is also coordinating with other agencies, the DG said, adding that he recently met with the Punjab Police chief.