No infiltration along int'l border in Jammu in past year: BSF officer

Inspector General (IG) of the BSF D K Boora affirmed on Tuesday that the force successfully maintained peace along the International Border (IB) in the Jammu frontier and said no infiltration was reported along the border with Pakistan in the past year.

He said there has been a significant decrease in the number of drone-dropping incidents.

"There was no infiltration along the IB in the past one year. There have been two to three attempted infiltrations, all neutralised in successful operations. Vigilant troops thwarted three Pakistani smugglers attempting to violate the IB to smuggle narcotics into the Indian territory," Boora told reporters here.

Regarding drone activities, he said there has been a notable decline in such incidents over the past year. He attributed this to the dismantling of a drone-based smuggling network earlier in the year.

"A big gang connected with drone-based smuggling was busted earlier this year. There is almost nil activity of drones along the IB in Jammu. There has to be someone to collect the material dropped by drones from across the border. That network has been busted by police and terrorists sympathisers have been arrested," the Border Security Force (BSF) officer said.

He emphasised that there is no involvement of those living near the border in any such activities.

On recent ceasefire violations, Boora said there were three such incidents along the IB and the BSF responded with a "befitting reply", inflicting heavy losses on Pakistan.

He said the ceasefire is not aimed at pushing terrorists into India, but for a different purpose, which cannot be disclosed publicly.

Boora highlighted the challenges faced by the border-guarding force in 2023, including drone activities, unprovoked firing and smuggling attempts, and lauded the BSF, Jammu for successfully dealing with those.

On terror launchpads along the IB, the officer said the BSF remains alert, aiming to seal the border effectively.

"The year 2023 witnessed manifold challenges ... like drone activities, unprovoked firing and smuggling attempts. But true to its tradition, the BSF-Jammu thwarted all attempts of the adversary and foiled its nefarious designs," he added.

On the implementation of the projects of smart fencing and an anti-drone set up, Boora said those are almost complete.

Responding to questions on tunnels, he said there were no reports of tunnels being used by terrorists in the past year. He emphasised the use of manual and technological measures to prevent such possibilities.

Asked about the possibility of aerial attacks on the lines of those perpetrated by Hamas on Israel, Boora affirmed that any such mischief would receive a befitting reply.

Regarding cultivation along the IB, he said 20 per cent of the land ahead of the border fence is being cultivated by farmers.