Maintaining highest possible vigil as Operation Sindoor continues: BSF IG Shashank Anand in Jammu
The Inspector General of the Border Security Force in the Jammu Frontier said Tuesday that the BSF was maintaining the 'highest possible vigil' along the International Border and that Operation Sindoor is continuing as 'Pakistan cannot be trusted'.
IG Shashank Anand told journalists in Jammu that 'robust surveillance systems' were being put up for heightened vigil along the border and that the BSF was not letting its guard down in the aftermath of the ceasefire earlier this month following days of cross-border hostilities between India and Pakistan.
'There were inputs that the enemy may plan some mischief, like cross-border firing or infiltration, but we are ready and vigilant, and a high degree of operational preparedness has been maintained all along the border,' he said.
During the cross-border shelling from Pakistan, the BSF foiled several infiltration attempts along the border, involving 40-50 terrorists, with pre-emptive strikes, the IG said. 'Our pre-emptive strikes inflicted heavy losses on the adversary, forcing them to retreat,' he said.
On the BSF's response to Pakistan after the April 22 terror attack that killed 26 civilians in south Kashmir's Pahalgam, Anand said, 'We took aggressive postures along the Line of Control and the International Border in Rajouri, Poonch and Jammu.' He said that BSF stayed on the front foot while Pakistan Rangers remained confined to their posts.
As part of its response to the Pahalgam terror attack, India on May 7 carried out Operation Sindoor, striking terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. This was followed by days of cross-border shelling by Pakistan.
Between May 9 and 10, Pakistan resorted to unprovoked firing on BSF posts in the Akhnoor sector. 'We responded by hitting the Lashkar-e-Toiba launch pad at Loni. Multiple terror launch pads were destroyed, including those at Loni, Mastpur and Chabbra, falling opposite Akhnoor, Samba and R S Pura sectors,' he said.
BSF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Chitterpal Singh said Pakistan also used drones and other weapons to target civilians in border villages like Abullian. 'We responded by hitting around 72 Pakistani posts and 47 forward posts,' he said, adding that several posts, bunkers and towers across the border were destroyed.
IG Anand said three BSF personnel were killed when Pakistan used low-flying drones to drop payloads on BSF posts.
'We are proposing to name one post in Samba sector after Operation Sindoor and two others after the martyrs,' he said.
He also lauded the women personnel of the BSF, including Assistant Commandant Neha Bhandari, for showing exemplary courage by manning forward posts.
He said BSF is enhancing surveillance and defensive measures. 'While CIBMS (Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System) has been in place since 2017, the BSF is integrating more advanced technologies in the coming months,' he said.
He described BSF as India's first line of defence, saying that it encourages farmers along the border to continue agricultural activities. 'We ensure their protection and undertake civic action programmes as part of confidence-building measures,' Anand said, adding, 'We do not provoke, but will retaliate strongly against any misadventure. Our guard remains up and our vigilance unwavering.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
11 minutes ago
- The Print
Jaishankar meets European Commission chief von der Leyen in Belgium
'Pleased to call on @EU_Commission President @vonderleyen this morning. Welcomed her strong condemnation of terrorist attack in Pahalgam and solidarity in combatting terrorism,' he said in an X post. Jaishankar called on the top EU leader during his visit to Belgium and Luxembourg. Brussels, Jun 10 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen here and praised her 'strong condemnation' of the Pahalgam attack and solidarity in combating terrorism. The April 22 Pahalgam terror attack claimed 26 lives, following which tensions between India and Pakistan escalated. India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7. During the meeting, Jaishankar and von der Leyen also discussed efforts that are underway to deepen the India-EU partnership. 'Agreed on the potential benefits of stronger cooperation in trade, technology, connectivity and security for both our regions,' Jaishankar added. Von der Leyen also took to X after the meeting and said, 'The EU-India strategic partnership is getting stronger.' 'We're working on a Strategic Agenda based on growth with an ambitious FTA, tech & innovation and security & defence. I look forward to adopting it with @narendramodi at our next Summit,' she said. In June 2022, India and the 27-nation bloc resumed negotiations for a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, an investment protection agreement and a pact on Geographical Indications after a gap of over eight years. The negotiations stalled in 2013 due to differences over the level of opening up of the markets. On February 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission chief agreed to seal the much-awaited free trade deal by the end of this year. Jaishankar met members of the European Parliament on Monday along with the Indian Ambassador to the EU, Belgium and Luxembourg, Saurabh Kumar. In a post on X, he said it was 'good to meet' David McAllister, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, Sandro Gozi, Chair of the Delegation to EU-UK Parliamentary Assembly, and Greek parliamentarian Nikos Papandreou. The meetings followed an interaction with members of the Indian community on Monday evening. Earlier in the day, Jaishankar held wide-ranging discussions with his Belgium counterpart Maxime Prevot on deepening bilateral cooperation, including in trade, investment, technology, defence and security, clean energy and mobility. During his week-long tour of Europe, Jaishankar will also hold talks with leaders of the European Union and France to boost bilateral ties and reaffirm India's policy of zero-tolerance against terrorism. PTI GRS GRS GRS This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Scroll.in
17 minutes ago
- Scroll.in
India will strike ‘deep into Pakistan' if provoked by terror attacks, says S Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday asserted that India would strike ' deep into Pakistan ' if provoked by terror attacks, United States-based news outlet Politico reported. In an interview with the outlet, Jaishankar warned that there would be retribution if 'you continue to do the kind of barbaric acts which they did in April', referring to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. However, the minister clarified that this 'retribution will be against the terrorist organisations and the terrorist leadership'. 'And we don't care where they are,' Jaishankar further said. 'If they are deep in Pakistan, we will go deep into Pakistan.' The foreign minister alleged that Pakistan was training 'thousands' of terrorists 'in the open' and 'unleashing' them on New Delhi. The external affairs minister's comments came almost a month after New Delhi and Islamabad reached an 'understanding' to halt firing following a four-day conflict. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated on May 7 when the Indian military carried out strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strikes were in response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which killed 26 persons on April 22. The Pakistan Army retaliated to Indian strikes by repeatedly shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. At least 22 Indian civilians and eight defence personnel were killed in the shelling. When asked by Politico if the conditions that led to the military hostilities in April remained, Jaishankar said: 'If you call the commitment to terrorism a source of tension, absolutely, it is.' Besides, answering a question about losses incurred by the Indian military, Jaishankar said appropriate authorities would respond about the matter. 'As far I'm concerned, how effective the Rafale was or frankly, how effective other systems were – to me the proof of the pudding are the destroyed and disabled airfields on the Pakistani side,' he said.
India.com
18 minutes ago
- India.com
Cannot Be Left To Die Natural Death...: India Urges International Community To Stop Funding Pakistans Terror Agenda
India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh once again urged the international community to stop funding Pakistan while saying that terrorism cannot be left to die a natural death as it's a threat to humanity. Singh also said that a permanent solution to terrorism is the need of the hour and added that Operation Sindoor is one of the biggest actions against terror infrastructure in India's history. Singh made the remarks while addressing a dialogue on the topic 'National Security & Terrorism', organised in Dehradun, Uttarakhand on June 10, 2025. 'Funding Pakistan means funding the infrastructure of terrorism. Pakistan is a nursery of terrorism. It should not be nourished,' he added. He said that the Narendra Modi government has reformed the security apparatus of India. "In the last 11 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government has transformed India's security apparatus by changing the attitude and the way of action towards every issue related to national security, and the world witnessed this shift during Operation Sindoor,' said Singh. Branding terrorism as an epidemic destined to perish, the Defence Minister stressed that the menace cannot be left to die a natural death as its existence will continue to challenge collective peace, development and prosperity. He underscored the urgent need for a permanent solution to terrorism. 'Terrorists are not fighters with a cause. No religious, ideological or political reason can justify terrorism. No human objective can ever be achieved through bloodshed and has always given shelter to terrorists, trained them on its soil and helped them. It always tries to justify this menace. It is important that we eliminate these terrorists and their entire infrastructure,' said Singh. Raksha Mantri described Operation Sindoor as the biggest action taken against terrorism in Indian history, which was carried out in response to the cowardly terror attack on innocent people in Pahalgam, J&K. He said the Pahalgam incident was an attack on the social unity of the country, and India took a big & strong action against terrorism and its perpetrators by destroying terror bases & related infrastructure in Pakistan & PoK. 'Following the abrogation of Article 370, J&K heralded into the era of peace and progress. Our neighbours could not tolerate this and executed the terror attack in Pahalgam. Despite Pakistan's best efforts, it has not been able to stop development in Kashmir. Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link is a shining example of the Government's relentless pursuit of progress in J&K. Soon, PoK will join us and say 'I, too, am Bharat',' he added. Rajnath Singh asserted that while the Indian Armed Forces have given a befitting reply to terrorists, it is imperative to prevent terror incidents such as the one in Pahalgam in future. He emphasised on the need to be alert not just at the level of governments, but also at the public level. He described terrorism as a distorted moral reasoning, the biggest curse on humanity, a major threat to peaceful co-existence & democracy, and an obstacle in the path of progress. The fight against terrorism is not just a question of security, it is a battle to protect the basic values of humanity, he added. Rajnath Singh also expressed shock at the recent decision by the United Nations Security Council to name Pakistan as the Vice-Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Panel, especially when the panel was formed after the 9/11 terror attacks. 'Pakistan had sheltered the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. Its land has been used as a refuge for global terrorist organisations. There, terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar roam around openly, and senior officers of Pakistan Army attend the funerals of terrorists. Now, the same country is expected to lead the global community against terrorism. This raises serious questions on the intentions and policies of the international system,' he said. Singh advised Pakistan to seek India's help if it is unable to take action against terrorism on its soil. He stated that the Indian Armed Forces are capable of taking effective action against terrorism on either side of the border, which was witnessed by Pakistan itself during Operation Sindoor. Calling Pakistan stubborn, he termed it necessary for the whole world to put strategic, diplomatic and economic pressure on Islamabad to deal with terrorism emanating from its soil. Rajnath Singh highlighted the growing use of information warfare in the 21st century, urging people to become social soldiers by identifying lies, stopping rumours, and spreading awareness in society. 'While data and information are the biggest power, it is also the biggest challenge. During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan conspired to break the morale of our soldiers and citizens through fake videos, manipulated news and posts. Even though military actions have been stopped, information warfare is still going on. If people share false news without thinking, they unknowingly become a weapon of the enemy. It is time that all citizens become social soldiers. The Government is working on cyber security at its level, but every citizen needs to be a 'first responder',' he said.
