Drone threat persists, sparks smuggling fears on Western border

Gandhinagar: While India thwarted more than 600 aerial attacks involving drones and missiles from Pakistan along the Gujarat and Rajasthan borders during the recent military conflict, the residents of the border areas are concerned that the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by Pakistan may eventually open up a new smuggling route for contraband.

On Saturday, Abhishek Pathak, inspector general of the Border Security Force Gujarat Frontier, which covers the international boundary between India and Pakistan along Gujarat and Munabao, Barmer, in Rajasthan, told the media that the security agencies foiled more than 600 drone attacks from Pakistan during this period, out of which about 40% attacks were targeted at Gujarat.

Significantly, drones continued to be dispatched from across the border after the declaration of ceasefire between India and Pakistan.

A villager told ET on condition of anonymity that the movement of flying objects from Pakistan continued several days after the ceasefire. "These movements have been rather frequent," he said, adding that unless checked, it might open up a smuggling route for contraband in the area.

Munabao and its adjoining areas have rarely reported smuggling of contraband in recent years as the border is well-guarded. On the contrary, there has been a spurt in narcotics smuggling through the sea route.

Speaking from Jamnagar, a senior member of the state security apparatus said that a Pakistani drone had reached the coastal town during the recent clash. "Not just the Rajasthan border, the drones can reach here as well and there is every possibility that they would be used for dropping contraband sooner than later," said the person.