Pathankot Terror Attack: Punjab Wants ‘Sensitive’ Status For Border Area

Senior BSF officials also visited Bamiyal, a village located in Pathankot, and took stock of the unfenced and riverine areas along the border with Pakistan. Badal also said he would be visiting the place at four in the evening.

This was the second major terror attack in Punjab in just over five months.

The terrorists apparently sneaked into India on the intervening night of December 30-31 from riverine border of tributaries of Beas river, reported dna. The area from where the terrorists crossed over has a thick foliage of elephant grass which provides an automatic cover for them, they said.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday said that timely alert helped in combating the terrorists and placing the damage under control.

He also said Punjab will demand sensitive status for the border of the state shared with Pakistan. Mr Badal, who also holds home portfolio, pleaded the union government to install sophisticated scientific and intelligence gadgets at the earliest along the fence at worldwide border to prevent the cross border infiltration of trained terrorists and smugglers.

According to a report in Pioneer, the alleged Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists selected a route usually taken by the drug smugglers to infiltrate the Indian side and launch a deadly attack on the IAF base in Pathankot. Prominent amongst those present on the occasion included Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia, Revenue Minister; Mr. Sohan Singh Thandal, Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister; Mr. Amarpal Singh Boni Ajnala, Chief Parliamentary Secretary; Mr. Baljit Singh Jalal Usma, MLA; Mr. Veer Singh Lopoke, Chairman, District Planning Committee; Mr. R. Venkatratnam, Principal Secretary Transport; Mr. NPS Randhawa, Director Cultural Affairs and leaders of SAD-BJP alliance.

“Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra Yojana is yet another attempt of the Punjab government to preserve and promote majestic culture and royal heritage of Punjab”, Badal said. “This can not be tolerated”, said Amlok Singh, another resident. Tirath Yatra trains to Katra for Maa Vaishno Devi and to Chennai for Basilica in San Thome constructed over tomb of St Thomas, an apostle of Jesus, are additionally within the offing.