Weapons looted by the Taliban in Afghanistan can get smuggled into India and used in terror-related activities, Director General of Border Security Force said today, acknowledging threats emanating from Afghanistan for the first time.
"It's a cause of worry since the Taliban cadre is now free and they have weapons. We are alert and are in touch with our sister agencies," DG BSF Pankaj Singh said.
Talking to reporters on the eve of the 57th Raising Day of the paramilitary, the BSF head said at least 67 drone sightings have been made this year till now along India's western border with Pakistan.
''Right now, the frequency of drones that are coming to our country is fairly small and these are by-and-large Chinese-made drones...they are very good...and carrying small payloads and in 95 per cent cases, they are carrying drugs'' he added.
''We have installed some kind of anti-drone systems at the border and they are working fairly ok but we are in the process of getting more and more technology,'' Mr Singh said.
He, however, added that covering the entire 2,300 km (of the India-Pakistan border) with anti-drone systems will cost a lot, and hence a ''trade-off'' can be thought of.
Like if we have a vital installation or important asset on the border, the anti-drone system to safeguard it can be installed there first, followed by other locations, DG Singh said.
According to him, there is no foolproof system available in the entire world. "There is no way as of now by which we can intercept, stall or make them (drones) de-active. We are in the process...this (getting anti-drone technology) is our number one priority,'' he said.
The BSF has shot down two drones till now along the Pakistan border, he said.
He said the force has also come across instances of drones carrying weapons payload from across the Pakistan border into India and ''dropping them into our area''.
"We are in touch with intelligence agencies and state police about these droppings as every time such a flight takes place, somebody is informed on the Indian side to take delivery," he added.
The DG said the force was getting ''wonderful cooperation'' from the Punjab Police in this context.
Talking about underground tunnels being found along this front, especially in the Jammu area, he said the force was keeping a vigil on this activity and devising new methods to check these structures that aid infiltration.
Armed terrorists have used such tunnels, that are as deep as 30 feet, 3-4 feet in width and height, and 100 meters below the international border fence, to infiltrate the country.
Mr Singh said the force is looking for ''low-cost technology solutions'' with regard to creating 'smart fencing', sensors, radars, and even countering the drones or the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) threat.
He said procuring defence and surveillance products from the market was good but they were facing a problem when it came to service or replacement of a worn-out part and hence, the force was focusing on getting more and more in-house technology solutions so that repairs and maintenance are quick.
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