BSF given ‘free hand’ to retaliate any provocation

Amid reports of large-scale ceasefire violations by Pakistan from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and even Gujarat — just hours after the agreement was announced — the Border Security Force (BSF) said it remains on “high alert” and that the India-Pakistan frontier continues to be fully sealed. Highly placed sources informed that the BSF has been given a “free hand” to retaliate strongly against any provocation from Pakistan.

A senior BSF official told The Tribune that heightened vigilance is being maintained, particularly in the Jammu sector, which has borne the brunt of Pakistan’s retaliatory attacks in response to India’s military offensive under Operation Sindoor over the past two days.

“We continue to remain on high alert, especially in the Jammu sector, which has witnessed extensive cross-border firing from the Pakistan side over the last two days,” the official said.

Reports of ceasefire violations began surfacing from several parts of Jammu, Punjab and Gujarat by Saturday evening, only hours after the ceasefire announcement.

Meanwhile, in a joint operation, the BSF and Punjab Police recovered a large cache of explosives, arms and ammunition smuggled from Pakistan at the Amritsar border, sources said.