During the current year, as many as seventeen incidents of drones originating from Pak soil and entering the Gurdaspur sector in Punjab alone had happened

Gurdasspur: The incidents of drone intrusion into Indian airspace in the Gurdaspur sector of Punjab from neighbouring Pakistan have significantly increased in the recent past and call for urgent attention of security officials to install drone detection and neutralization technology to avert the cross border threat.

During the current year, as many as seventeen incidents of drones originating from Pak soil and entering the Gurdaspur sector in Punjab alone had happened. Significantly of the nearly 17 incidents of drone intrusion, six incidents happened after August 15 when Pakistan-backed Taliban took over the control of Afghanistan.

Recently on October 28, a Pak drone was spotted near Shahpur Border out Post (BoP) of Border Security Force (BSF) in the Gurdaspur sector.

A day earlier on October 27, the BSF had confiscated a Pakistani boat near Dhinda BoP in the Gurdaspur sector.

Prior to this on October 5, BSF had spotted three drones flying in Indian airspace in the Gurdaspur sector. One drone was seen in the area of Chauntra BoP while the two drones were spotted in the area of responsibility of Bohar Vadala and Kashyam Barman BoP of BSF.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) BSF, Gurdaspur sector Prabhakar Joshi informed BSF troops had fired in the direction of drones following which they flew back to Pakistan. About the Pak boat, he said the boat was found in Tarna Nullaha and it appeared that it had drifted inside the Indian territory.

BSF has confiscated the boat and lodged an FIR at Narot Jaimal Singh police station.

Taking note of the drone intrusions after October 5 incident, BSF’s top brass including Additional Director General (Western Command) NS Jamwal and Inspector General, Punjab Frontier, Sonali Mishra along with other officials visited the forward areas of and BSF BoP’s all along the international border with Pakistan in Punjab to review the present situation and force’s preparedness.

Expressing concern over the incessant incidents of drone intrusion in Punjab from Pakistan, former Inspector General, Punjab Frontier, BSF, MS Malhi suggested that BSF should immediately buy or develop and execute the drone detection and neutralization technology.