nThe Border Security Force (BSF) is working on technical solutions to combat the threat of rogue drones along the India-Pakistan International Border, BSF Chief Vivek Johri said on Sunday at the Force's 55th Raising Day here.
Apart from detection of arms dropping by Pakistani drones in Punjab, the BSF also said Islamabad has stepped up efforts to infiltrate terrorists into India especially after the bifurcation of J&K in August this year.
Johri also said that the force has expanded its "strategic capabilities" by using new technology and intelligence to guard the over 6,386 km long borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Addressing the Raising Day event of the force at a BSF camp here, the BSF Director General said the Line of Control (Loc) in Kashmir and the International Border in Punjab have become "operationally sensitive" in recent times.
"We have received reports about the activity of drones along the western border front (along Pakistan) in the recent past and we are working on technical solutions and taking important steps to tackle this issue," he said, adding anti-India forces are continuously trying to infiltrate across the border and the BSF is alert "all times" to thwart these bids.
The about 2.5 lakh personnel strong BSF was raised on this day in 1965 and is primarily tasked to guard the India and Pakistan borders apart from rendering a variety of roles in the internal security domain.
On August 5, the Centre had abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special status to the erstwhile State of J&K and bifurcated it into Union Territories of Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh which came into existence on October 31.
Addressing the event, Union Minister Nityanand Rai said anti-India forces wanting to create trouble in Kashmir valley, post the abrogation of Article 370, have not been successful because of a strong security shield created by forces like the BSF.
The Minister said the BSF is continuously thwarting infiltration and smuggling bids along the border areas as enemies of the country are trying to "destabilise" the environment in these areas. "Recent decisions (abrogation of Article 370) have led to positive developments in Jammu-Kashmir but anti-national forces want to create trouble in Kashmir valley. "But BSF is standing like an impregnable wall against such attempts and is continuously foiling such bids," the Union Minister of State for Home said.
Because of the BSF's effective vigil, nefarious elements think thousand times before attempting anything, Rai added.