Attacks in J&K: Punjab's border areas put on high alert

Ravi Dhaliwal

Gurdaspur, June 14

The police districts of Batala, Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Pathankot have been placed on a high alert keeping in view the recent terrorist attacks in several areas of J&K.

Notably, Pathankot revenue district shares a border with J&K and HP apart from sharing the International Border with Pakistan. Whenever terror activity is noticed in the adjoining states, three police districts of Batala, Gurdaspur and Pathankot are invariably put on a high alert.

Senior officers are maintaining a studied silence on the issue but sources reveal that the police have received inputs that the terror activities at present occurring in J&K may spillover to Punjab.

DIG (Border range) Rakesh Kaushal said additional police forces have been deployed “in the strategically critical districts of Pathankot, Gurdaspur and Amritsar”.

An officer revealed that high-level security coordination meetings are being regularly held among police officers, BSF, Army, Swat and commando teams and different intelligence agencies. “Such meetings are being held to share critical information, vital intelligence inputs and to plan operational strategies. These are basically designed to enhance security arrangements in these border police districts,” said DIG Kaushal.

Meanwhile, in Pathankot, the police have started a three-day training module in collaboration with the Army.

SSP Suhail Qasim Mir has convened special meetings with members of the village defence committees (VDCs). Senior BSF officials were also present in the deliberations that were held in Bamial village located near the International Border (IB). As many as 73 VDCs, comprising nearly 850 members, too, were present.

The SSP said in the wee hours today, a coordinated anti-tunneling and combing operation was executed near the IB. The exercise involved 300 policemen from the Pathankot police.