Abhishek Vij
Not a day goes by without news of violence, bombings, or drug trafficking orchestrated by terrorists, causing concern to humanity. India and Pakistan share a long border stretching from Punjab to Jammu and Kashmir. Terrorist elements along this entire border constantly attempt to spread chaos in the country. While Pakistan pretends to be a victim of terrorism, the reality is that Punjab remains the biggest target of terrorists, drug traffickers, and arms dealers hiding in Pakistan. From threats to bomb schools in Punjab to a terrorist network extending from Pakistan to Canada, Punjab is constantly under threat. Now, a new strategy has been devised to track down terrorists and destroy their hideouts along the Punjab border.
This can be considered good news with the arrival of the new year. For a long time, there has been a continuous supply of narcotics, weapons, and explosives across the border into Punjab. Terrorists do not hesitate to carry out violent acts to disrupt peace in Punjab. It has been observed that terrorist elements are smuggling narcotics and weapons using drones. Now, drone detection equipment is being deployed up to 50 kilometers inside the border so that drones can be attacked as soon as they infiltrate. The Punjab Police is installing 2367 CCTV cameras at 585 highly sensitive locations. A plan to spend Rs 49.58 crore on this has been initiated.
While the Border Security Force (BSF) is responsible for frontline security along the border with Pakistan, the Punjab Police is now also deploying anti-drone systems in the border areas of Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, and Amritsar (rural) districts. Police sources say that most of the smuggling of weapons, narcotics, and explosives takes place from these sensitive areas of these three districts.
Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said that several special teams have also been deployed along with the CCTV cameras. New technologies are being used for security. This is called the second line of defense. A major decision has been taken to strengthen it after the BSF’s security measures. The Punjab Police has deployed special forces, including the Special Operations Group, Special Security Group, and Ghatak Platoon teams, along with bulletproof vehicles. Punjab’s 553-kilometer border with Pakistan remains a target for terrorists.
Fencing and barbed wire have been installed in most areas. However, there is no fencing where the Ravi and Sutlej rivers enter Pakistan. The BSF and Punjab Police are accepting the responsibility of securing these areas as a new challenge. There is a supply of narcotics, weapons, and explosives. This year, the Punjab Police seized 2021 kilograms of heroin in a major raid. Drugs are being smuggled from across the border by a cross-border drug syndicate. In addition, rifles, pistols, IEDs, RDX, hand grenades, detonators, RPGs, etc., are also being smuggled in. The objective is to spread terror through violent incidents and disrupt peace in the region. It is good news that the BSF and Punjab Police are facing this new challenge on the occasion of the new year. Success in this anti-terror campaign will only be achieved when the hidden or treacherous elements within the country are neutralized.