HAZARIBAG (Jharkhand), Nov 30: BSF director general (DG) Nitin Agrawal stated on Thursday that there is still no “convincing” explanation from Pakistan’s commanders during flag talks for the country’s recent breach of the long-standing ceasefire along the International Border. On the eve of the 59th Raising Day of the force, Agrawal was addressing reporters at the yearly news conference held at a Border Security Force camp in the ‘Meru’ area of Hazaribag, Jharkhand. Raised on December 1, 1965, the force, which has a strength of roughly 2.65 lakh, is mainly responsible for policing the 6,386 km-long Indian fronts with Bangladesh and Pakistan.It is anticipated that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will salute during Friday’s ceremonial procession here. Regarding the cause of the ceasefire violation, we are clueless. We’re examining every facet. They (Pak Rangers) have been providing XYZ with arguments for this (ceasefire violation) during flag sessions, but they are not at all persuasive. The Pac Rangers believed that their voice lacked conviction. The BSF DG stated, “They basically brought up something for the sake of it. Why they did it is still up for debate. He said there’s no definitive answer to it yet. In the Jammu sector, Pakistan Rangers started cross-border shelling in October, injuring a woman and a BSF jawan. This was the first significant ceasefire violation since 2021. Ever since the two parties signed a ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021, there have been at least six violations in total. According to the BSF DG, during these ceasefire violations, the force launched “effective” retaliation fire, and “there were reports from multiple sources of heavy casualties on the other side.” According to a senior officer, the BSF firing is believed to have claimed the lives of at least seven Pakistani Rangers. The DG declared, “I can assure the nation that the BSF will effectively guard the borders.” According to the head of the paramilitary force, ninety drones that had crossed over from Pakistan into India were found between November of last year and October of this year. Of them, 81 were found in Punjab, and the remaining ones were found in Rajasthan, according to official data. According to official sources, the police observed up to 300 sightings of unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, during the same time period. UAVs are primarily used to transport drugs from Pakistan to Punjab, which is a border province. Over the past year, we have retrieved almost 1,000 kg of heroin from the western front, which is the border between India and Pakistan, the DG stated. Agrawal stated that if we alert our Pakistani counterparts about this cross-border criminal activity, they “always deny.” The drones that we shoot down and recover are primarily manufactured in China. In response to the “increasing” threat posed by UAVs along the India-Pakistan front, the BSF has also installed several vehicle-mounted anti-drone systems, according to an official statement. Later, a senior officer informed that the force had been observing a new trend for the past few months, which involves using tiny drones to smuggle drugs from Pakistan to Punjab. The drugs, predominantly heroin, are smuggled in plastic cold drink bottles.Cross-border narcotics officers find small drones more effective for the job than large or mid-size drones since they are less expensive and can carry a kilogramme or less of drugs, the officer added. He said that the BSF had just foiled a smuggling attempt by capturing a man in Rajasthan near the India-Pakistan border. He added that after we apprehended the spy and asked him to stay in contact with his Pakistani counterpart, four drone sorties carrying drugs were found.
