Centre team visits Pakistan border, sees need for more guards

Formed three months after the Pakistani terrorist attack on the Pathankot airbase, the Centre’s high-level committee for security assessment in the border states visited Ferozepur on Wednesday and suggested deploying almost four times the number of guards.

Formed three months after the Pakistani terrorist attack on the Pathankot airbase, the Centre’s high-level committee for security assessment in the border states visited Ferozepur on Wednesday and suggested deploying almost four times the number of guards.

A high-level security assessment team of the central government during its visit to Hussainiwala in Ferozepur district on Wednesday. (HT Photo)

The civil, police and Border Security Force BSF officials escorted the six-member team led by former Union home secretary Madhukar Gupta to the forward areas of Hussainiwala, where it inspected gaps and vulnerability and took inputs from the BSF jawans and the border villagers. “Every BSF jawan has a kilometre of the border to guard, which is difficult during rain and fog,” said a senior officer accompanying the team, adding: “The team has suggested one jawan for every 250 metres.”

It asked the army, BSF, and police to improve coordination. In February, a 31-member parliamentary standing committee on home affairs had also visited the border areas of Punjab to study the gaps in security and the challenges of rough terrain and harsh conditions before guards.

Thapa confirmed the visit but declined to share details with the media.