Pak intensifies drone activities along border in Punjab

The decades-old concern of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of focusing on improving counter-infiltration measures in the Jammu and Kashmir region is now moving towards the Punjab region due to Pakistan-based terror groups trying to infiltrate men and machine into India through the Punjab border.

- DIBYENDU MONDAL

The phenomenal rise in the number of drone sightings over the last one year along the India-Pak border in the Punjab region is a testimony to the fact that Pakistan is shifting its focus to this region and using the "loopholes" in the security measures in Punjab to infiltrate into Indian territory.

According to data from the Border Security Force (BSF) accessed by The Sunday Guardian, India has witnessed an increase of more than 100% in the number of drone sightings along the India-Pak border in Punjab-drones that tried to enter/entered Indian airspace to drop narcotics, arms and ammunitions, compared to last year. Between January and November this year, the BSF witnessed 215 incidents of drone sightings along the India-Pak border in Punjab, which translate to a figure of around 20 drones being cited every month.

This, according to the data, is a three times increase compared to the earlier years of 2020 or 2021. While in 2020, the Punjab region witnessed just 40 incidents of drone sightings, this increased to 64 in 2021 and to 215 in 2022.