With two incidents of cross border terror attack within a span of six months in Punjab, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday sought personal intervention of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to constitute a high level team to seal the gaps on the border.
After Dina Nagar attack by Pak based terrorists in July last year, terror struck the Pathankot Air Base early this month in which six terrorists and seven security personnel were killed.
In his letter to the Union Home Minister, Badal said the high-level team could comprise Secretary Border Management, Home Department, Director General Border Security Force (BSF), Director Intelligence Bureau (IB) and State Police. This would undertake the exercise, of physically inspecting the condition of the border fencing in Punjab (mainly Gurdaspur and Amritsar districts) and adjoining area of Jammu besides identifying the vulnerable points and gaps and suggesting the methods to seal the gaps, biannually or as required.
In his letter to the Home Minister, Badal impressed upon him to accord the top most priority to this exercise to be undertaken by the above mentioned joint team of senior officers and representatives to ensure security of the border and safety of the people residing in its vicinity.
The Chief Minister apprised Rajnath Singh that there have been instances in recent past of fidayeen attacks in Punjab, at Dinanagar on July 27, 2015 and at Pathankot Air Force Base on January 1 this year.
“These fidayeen are suspected to have crossed over into India from the international border in Punjab or adjoining area of Jammu and Kashmir. In the last one year there have been several incidents of border crossing in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab due to the difficult terrain in the region despite erection of fencing at most of the border. In recent years BSF and Punjab Police have also seized a sizeable number of consignments of arms and ammunition near the border fencing,” he said in the letter.
Badal wrote that there have also been seizures of major quantities of Heroin in this area by the forces pointing towards regular attempts by international smugglers to use this border as the fencing in the riverine area gets damaged during floods leaving gaps along the border.
Badal reiterated his request to the Home Minister for intensifying the vigil on the border by constituting a team of these officers and representatives so as to effectively check the incidents of border crossing especially through physical inspection of vulnerable points and gaps biannually or as and when required.