Pathankot air base attack: No delay in sending out first alerts, says Punjab Govt

In Pathankot to review security arrangements with IG Border Range Lok Nath Angara on Sunday, Sukhbir said there had been no delay by the police in sending out the first alerts. (Source: PTI)

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal defended Punjab Police against criticism that it had wasted precious hours on Friday after the two incidents involving five men in army fatigues in the early hours that day, and said the Centre had been informed immediately about Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh’s account of his close encounter with them.

In Pathankot to review security arrangements with IG Border Range Lok Nath Angara on Sunday, Sukhbir said there had been no delay by the police in sending out the first alerts. “Our police know what is going on, please don’t criticise the police. Don’t tell them how to do their job. Certain things cannot be disclosed. It is not for media to know. Because we informed immediately, this is why NSG came on time. Everything was arranged in those hours. We were able to deploy required forces before the attack started,” the Deputy Chief minister said.

However, in an oblique criticism of the Border Security Force (BSF), he said the central government must “enhance deployment of adequate BSF personnel along the 553-km long Punjab-Pakistan border to curb intrusions”. He also announced that the Punjab government was taking its own steps to protect the border.