Terror launch pads still active across LoC; BSF sounds alert

SRINAGAR: Even as India’s cross-LoC strikes under Operation Sindoor dismantled several terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, a number of such facilities remain active, keeping security forces on heightened alert along the Line of Control.
Terrorist launching pads are active across the Line of Control even after several such installations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were destroyed during Operation Sindoor, Inspector General of BSF Ashok Yadav said here on Sunday.
“Several terrorist launching pads across the LoC were destroyed during Operation Sindoor, but some launching pads are still active where there is the presence of terrorists,” Yadav told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
He said that security forces along the Line of Control are alert to thwart any attempts by terrorists to infiltrate into Kashmir.
“There is always an attempt by Pakistan to infiltrate terrorists ahead of the winter. As you know, the visibility these days is low, but we have modern surveillance equipment, and we effectively cover the vulnerable patches. Our efforts are to foil any infiltration attempt,” Yadav said.
The IG BSF said Operation Sindoor was ongoing and any attempts to thwart peace by Pakistan will be given a befitting reply.
Asked about changes in preparedness along the LoC after Operation Sindoor, Yadav said, “Every challenge is a learning experience. Whatever we learn from those challenges is incorporated into future strategy to effectively take on new challenges.”
Earlier, the BSF on Saturday said that drone technology and aerial dimensions have become decisive elements of modern warfare, noting that conflicts worldwide — from Russia-Ukraine to Israel-Palestine — show how adversaries are increasingly exploiting the airspace.
India witnessed a similar tactic during Operation Sindoor in May, when Pakistan attempted to utilise aerial platforms for cross-border activities, Shashank Anand, BSF Inspector General, Jammu Frontier, told mediapersons, flanked by BSF DIGs Vikram Kunwar and Kulwant Rai Sharma.
“The BSF and other agencies are tackling the challenge of drones. We are increasing our capabilities, and we hope to be even more successful in the next year,” IG Anand said.
He said drone and anti-drone innovations are in a continuous process of research and development, with the BSF working closely with its industry partners.
“The future conflicts or cross-border firing incidents will inevitably have a strong aerial component, making counter-drone preparedness a top priority,” he said.
The BSF has been dealing with drone-based threats since 2019, when cross-border smuggling through unmanned aerial vehicles began in Punjab, the IG said.
In response, the force has upgraded training, procured advanced counter-drone systems and ensured round-the-clock monitoring without disrupting civilian air traffic, he said.
To strengthen its technological edge, the BSF has set up two drone forensic laboratories – the Central Drone Forensic Laboratory in Delhi and another in Amritsar – which analyse recovered drones and provide actionable intelligence to the investigating agencies, the officer said.
The force has also established the School of Drone Warfare in Gwalior, signing MoUs with IIT-Delhi, IIT-Chennai and the KF Hussain RJIT engineering institute to train students and force personnel for emerging aerial security challenges.
The IG said that in all the recent wars worldwide, including the brief India-Pakistan conflict in May, the countries involved tried to exploit the aerial dimension in their own way.
The focus of the BSF is on how to keep the border population and those in the hinterland safe during any future conflict, he said.
“A lot of work is being done on this. The government has also announced that community bunkers will be increased in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir,” IG Anand said.
The force is working with the civil administration on the issue of border bunkers and has conveyed a message that “we will make every effort to keep our country and our border areas safe”, he said.
For international security, the IG said, the forces must remain alert, as anti-national elements always look for any shortcomings to exploit the situation in their favour.