The Border Security Force (BSF) today claimed that it has witnessed movement of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) very close to the Indo-Pak border recently.
"We have noticed UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) coming 100 meters upto the border...may be they (Pakistani forces) want to check our preparedness but I can assure you that we are fully capable of giving a befitting reply and we will not allow any nefarious design of terrorists to succeed," BSF Director General K K Sharma said.
The BSF has also said that "tension" prevails along the western front in the wake of surgical strikes conducted by Indian forces on terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
According to Sharma, the BSF has also reviewed the security preparedness along the eastern front with Bangladesh so that terrorists are not able to use that country to sneak into India and launch attacks.
"No doubt, the overall vigil has been increased (along western borders). All the defence and security forces establishments are on their highest alert. There is tension on the western border..we are having active engagement (with Pakistan) at the Line of Control and we are receiving shelling from the other side. However, we are in supportive role at the LoC (to army)," Sharma said.
He said the BSF and their Bangladeshi counterparts Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), as part of the bi-annual talks that concluded here today, also did "touch upon" the security situation post the surgical strikes conducted by army across the LoC and that both the forces are on "high vigil."
"There is no new input (about Bangladeshi territory being used by terrorists)...however, vigil has been increased along the Indo-Bangla border too," he said.
Sharma added that while there is "tension" at the International Border (IB) that runs along Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat, there has been no ceasefire violation till now in these areas.
The BSF chief added the force has not issued any order for vacating villages on the border and such directives may have been issued by the respective civil administrations of the states.
"We are even allowing Indian farmers to go to their farms which are beyond the Indo-Pak fence. We have never said vacate villages, people may have shifted out as precautionary measure. Now, people who had gone are coming back. There has been no untoward incident at the IB till now," he said.
Talking about a recent incident at the Attari-Wagah retreat ceremony, Sharma said an incident was reported where a "stone" was thrown towards the Indian side but it did not hit anyone and the matter was brought to the notice of their counterparts, the Pakistan Rangers.
(With PTI inputs)
