Treat Punjab at par with Kashmir for BSF deployment: Badal

In wake of two major terror attacks in Punjab in about five months, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday urged the central government to treat the state frontier at par with Jammu and Kashmir for deployment of more BSF troopers to check infiltration from across the border.

Badal said that he has asked the union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to deploy adequate number of Border Security Force (BSF) personnel along the international border with Pakistan in Punjab, keeping in view the growing threat of infiltration from the neighbouring country.

"In wake of recent terror attacks at Dinanagar (July 27, 2015) and Pathankot (January 2, 2016), the need of the hour is to replicate the formula which was applicable in Jammu and Kashmir in Punjab also to intensify vigil on the border.

"Punjab is a national frontier and concerted efforts must be made to beef its security for the sake of protecting unity and integrity of the nation," he said.

Though the 553-km long international border in Punjab is barbed wire fenced, infiltration takes place through areas where it is damaged or missing. Infiltrators also take advantage of riverine areas in Gurdaspur and Pathankot districts where floods damage the fencing.

The border is guarded by the BSF.

Six terrorists from Pakistan, who had attacked the Pathankot air base on January 2, were killed by security forces. Seven security personnel were also killed in the counter offensive.

In the July 27 terrorist attack on Dinanagar town in Gurdaspur district, seven people - a police officer, three home guards personnel and three civilians - were killed. Three terrorists were eliminated by security forces.