Aerial attack threat: BSF, police learn of Pathankot alert from Air Force leaflets

Besides, Pathankot Air Force Station officials did not call any meeting with BSF and Punjab Police to discuss the steps needed to be taken to keep a tab on suspected aerial activities.

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BSF Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Gurdaspur Sector, A Srinivasan said, “We have no official communication about the aerial attack. But we are equipped to deal with any kind of challenge. We have strengthened the Indo-Pak border. Now, we will keep an eye on the sky.” He declined to make more comments.

When contacted, Punjab Inspector General (Border Range) Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, too, said, “We are ready to deal with any situation. Do not pay attention to hoax calls. There has been nothing to worry about the security as we are properly equipped.”

He repeated this statement when asked if there was any communication from Pathankot Air Force Station about the threat of an aerial attack.

The National Security Agency (NSA) had reportedly alerted the Pathankot Air Force station about a threat of aerial attack. The Air Force Station was warned that Pakistan-based terrorists groups can use drones, gliders and para-motors to enter Indian territory to carry out a terrorist attack. It is the first time when the possibility of such an infiltration from the Indo-Pak border in Punjab has been suspected by any security agencies.

Reacting to the NSA report, Pathankot Air Force Station Wednesday distributed posters among the common public in border areas to inform about the possibility of such an attack.

A BSF officer posted in Punjab Frontier, on condition of anonymity, said, “There is a very low possibility to cross the border through sky. You need to fly very low to avoid the radars of air force. Even then, if Air Force feels that there is any such possibility of aerial attack, then it should have deployed its manpower on ground alongside Indo-Pak border to keep a check on the sky. But we have asked our men to keep an eye on the sky after reading such reports in news papers. We have even cancelled the leave of many BSF men deployed along Indo-Pak border.”

It is the second big step taken by the Air Force to involve public to avoid a possible terrorist attack. Earlier, it had hanged ‘shoot-on-sight order’ banners on the wall of Pathankot Air Force station.