Accusing Pakistan of waging a dedicated covert war against India in the form of drone and drug infiltration, Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit said that the same should be responded through surgical strikes. Addressing the media during his two day visits to border villages in the state, Purohit appreciated government and security agencies in fighting the menace.
“Look at the amount of drones coming in every day. This is not the work of a single gang or group but the Pakistani army and government are also involved. They are lodging a hidden war against us to stabilise us. They are out to destroy our future generations with drugs. It’s not my authority but I feel that we should carry out one or two surgical strikes to set them right. The ray of hope currently is steps being taken by our agencies and government,” said Purohit.
Hon’ble Governor of Punjab, Shri Banwarilal Purohit, visited bordering villages of #Punjab. He had productive engagement with senior BSF officers, gaining insights into operational contours. The BSF Weapon exhibition in #Gurdaspur bolstered his confidence in capabilities of BSF. pic.twitter.com/HTs9hPBtra
— BSF PUNJAB FRONTIER (@BSF_Punjab) June 8, 2023
It may be noted that drone infiltration from Pakistan has increased by double since last year and BSF on an average is shooting one drone every second day. According to BSF Records over 100 intrusions have been reported on Punjab border till May 31 this year and they managed to gun down 15 so far. Punjab Police have Since July 2022 till March 2023 had arrested as many as 10576 drug smugglers including 1540 big fish. Majority of these were nabbed from border areas. The Police have registered a total of 7999 first information reports (FIRs) of which 915 are related to commercial quantity.
Governor said that the main purpose of his visit was to meet with the state and central agencies to get feedback and aid in better coordination. He lauded BSF, NIA and other agencies for their constant efforts to defeat Pakistan’s plans. Calling national security the top priority, Purohit said that while the soldiers manned the border they were striving to get them the best technical support. He said that agencies have requested a mega CCTV surveillance along the border and he had recommended the same.
Meanwhile, he praised the ‘Drone Emergency Response System’ launched by DIG Border Range Narendra Bhargava on June 7 to stop smuggling through drones in Pathankot border area and instructed to implement this system in the entire border area. “Under this initiative ‘Village Police Officer’ and 2 members of the Village Defense Committee deployed by the police will be on patrol throughout the night and whenever the movement of the drone is seen, they will raise an alarm. This will not just help in bringing down the drone but will also help in recovering all drugs and arms consignments being dropped by drones,” added Purohit.
Purohit also announced the formation of ‘Village Defence Committees’ in six border districts within 10 kilometres of the India-Pakistan border with the help of the civil and police administration. He also announced to provide a mobile science lab in the border areas to enhance the education of the youth of the border area in a scientific manner.
Also read: Punjab ropes in border villagers to tighten vigil against Pakistani drones carrying drugs & arms
