News Analysis India

Tag: Punjab border

  • Punjab CM Channi urges rollback on Centre’s ‘irrational’ call to extend BSF jurisdiction along border

    By Online Desk

    Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has condemned the Centre’s move to extend BSF’s jurisdiction to a 50-km belt along the international border in Punjab, Assam, and West Bengal.

    Taking to Twitter, Channi urged for an immediate rollback on the ‘irrational’ decision, which he termed was also a ‘direct attack’ on federalism.

    I strongly condemn the GoI’s unilateral decision to give additional powers to BSF within 50 KM belt running along the international borders, which is a direct attack on the federalism. I urge the Union Home Minister @AmitShah to immediately rollback this irrational decision.
    — Charanjit S Channi (@CHARANJITCHANNI) October 13, 2021
    Earlier, the BSF’s jurisdiction was a 15 km belt along the border, wherein the central paramilitary forces had the power of arrest, search and seizure on par with their counterparts in the police.

    Channi’s demand comes amid strong reactions pouring in from Congress leaders, and other opposition leaders.

    Former Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar said that the Chief Minister had “unwittingly managed to hand over” half of Punjab to the Central government.

    Taking to Twitter, Jakhar claimed that the move “castigated” the Punjab Police.

    “Be careful what you ask for! Has Charanjit Singh Channi unwittingly managed to hand over half of Punjab to the Central govt. 25000sq km (out of a total of 50,000sq km) has now been placed under BSF jurisdiction. Punjab Police stands castigated. Do we still want more autonomy to States?” Jakhar tweeted.

    Meanwhile, former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had a different reaction to offer.

    He backed the Centre’s decision via a tweet posted by his media advisor Raveen Thukral.

    “Our soldiers are being killed in Kashmir. We’re seeing more and more weapons and drugs being pushed by Pak-backed terrorists into Punjab. BSF’s enhanced presence and powers will only make us stronger. Let’s not drag central armed forces into politics,” Amarinder said.

    “Partisan considerations can’t and shouldn’t dictate our stand on issues of national security. I’d said that at the time of the 2016 surgical strikes and am saying it again. We’ve to rise above politics when India’s security is at stake, as it is now,” he added.

    ‘Our soldiers are being killed in Kashmir. We’re seeing more & more weapons & drugs being pushed by Pak-backed terrorists into Punjab. BSF’s enhanced presence & powers will only make us stronger. Let’s not drag central armed forces into politics’: capt_amarinder 1/2(File pic) pic.twitter.com/nu4DhAQnAz
    — Raveen Thukral (@RT_Media_Capt) October 13, 2021
    CM Channi had met Home Minister Amit Shah on October 5 and asked him to “seal” the international border of the state to curb trafficking and weapon.

    (With inputs from Agencies)

  • Punjab government, political parties slam Centre’s call to extend BSF jurisdiction along border

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government as well as political parties in the state reacted sharply to the Centre’s decision to empower the Border Security Force (BSF) to carry out searches and arrests and make seizures up to an area of 50 km from the International Border (IB) with Pakistan and Bangladesh. Earlier, the BSF was only empowered to take action up to 15 km inside Punjab.

    I strongly condemn the GoI’s unilateral decision to give additional powers to BSF within 50 KM belt running along the international borders, which is a direct attack on the federalism. I urge the Union Home Minister @AmitShah to immediately rollback this irrational decision.
    — Charanjit S Channi (@CHARANJITCHANNI) October 13, 2021
    Slamming the Centre for the recent amendment in Section 139 of the BSF Act, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi tweeted that it was “a direct attack on federalism” and urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to “immediately rollback this irrational decision”.

    Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said he would soon personally call on PM Modi and Home Minister Shah to resolve this issue. He categorically said that the CM had neither raised this issue with the Centre nor asked for enhancing the jurisdiction of BSF.

    The Shiromani Akali Dal alleged the move was akin to imposition of “President’s Rule through the back door in nearly half of Punjab”. SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said tht this “devious attempt” to place the state under the central rule must and will be opposed.

    Be careful what you ask for ! Has @CHARANJITCHANNI unwittingly managed to handover half of Punjab to Central govt. 25000sq km (out of total 50,000sq km) has now been placed under BSF jurisdiction. Punjab Police stands castigated. Do we still want more autonomy to States ? https://t.co/JlGB7G0Pnj
    — Sunil Jakhar (@sunilkjakhar) October 13, 2021
    Former state Congress president Sunil Jakhar attacked his own government and tweeted: “Be careful what you ask for! Has @CHARANJITCHANNI unwittingly managed to hand over half of Punjab to Central govt. 25,000 sq km (out of total 50,000sq km) has now been placed under BSF jurisdiction. Punjab Police stands castigated.”

    However, former CM Amarinder Singh came out in support of the move. “BSF’s enhanced presence & powers will only make us stronger. Let’s not drag armed forces into politics,” his advisor tweeted.

    ‘Our soldiers are being killed in Kashmir. We’re seeing more & more weapons & drugs being pushed by Pak-backed terrorists into Punjab. BSF’s enhanced presence & powers will only make us stronger. Let’s not drag central armed forces into politics’: capt_amarinder 1/2(File pic) pic.twitter.com/nu4DhAQnAz
    — Raveen Thukral (@RT_Media_Capt) October 13, 2021

  • Channi ‘unwittingly’ handed half of Punjab to Centre: Sunil Jhakhar on BSF’s jurisdiction extension

    By ANI

    PUNJAB: Former Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar on Wednesday raised questions over the state government’s move to ask the Centre to “seal” the international border of the state and said Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has “unwittingly managed to hand over” half of Punjab to the Central government.

    Taking to Twitter, Jakhar claimed that the move “castigated” the Punjab Police.

    “Be careful what you ask for! Has Charanjit Singh Channi unwittingly managed to hand over half of Punjab to the Central govt. 25000sq km (out of a total of 50,000sq km) has now been placed under BSF jurisdiction. Punjab Police stands castigated. Do we still want more autonomy to States?” Jakhar tweeted.

    Be careful what you ask for ! Has @CHARANJITCHANNI unwittingly managed to handover half of Punjab to Central govt. 25000sq km (out of total 50,000sq km) has now been placed under BSF jurisdiction. Punjab Police stands castigated. Do we still want more autonomy to States ? https://t.co/JlGB7G0Pnj
    — Sunil Jakhar (@sunilkjakhar) October 13, 2021
    Jakhar’s tweet came after Union Home Ministry extended the area states of West Bengal, Punjab and Assam, under the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF), giving the paramilitary personnel powers of arrest, search and seizure, on par with state police.

    Meanwhile, Channi has strongly ‘condemned’ Centre’s decision.

    I strongly condemn the GoI’s unilateral decision to give additional powers to BSF within 50 KM belt running along the international borders, which is a direct attack on the federalism. I urge the Union Home Minister @AmitShah to immediately rollback this irrational decision.
    — Charanjit S Channi (@CHARANJITCHANNI) October 13, 2021
    Centre said the move was aimed at maintaining “zero tolerance” against terrorism and cross border crimes, and empowered the BSF to conduct searches, arrest suspects and make seizures up to an area of 50 km inside Indian territory from the International Border (IB) along the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders.

    Notably, on October 5, CM Channi had met Home Minister Amit Shah and asked him to “seal” the international border of the state to curb trafficking and weapon.

  • This is how BSF nabbed Pakistani smuggler from Punjab border fence in a first-of-its-kind op

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: In a first-of-its-kind operation, anti-narcotics agencies have nabbed a Pakistani national while attempting to smuggle drugs from along the India-Pakistan border fence in Punjab, officials said on Saturday.

    Twenty-eight-year-old Amjad Ali alias Majid Jutt, a resident of Kharak village in Lahore, was nabbed by the Border Security Force (BSF) troops in the Khemkaran front area of Ferozepur district on the intervening night of April 6-7 when he and his associates were about to push in over 20 kg of heroin from under the fence to their Indian contacts.

    A total of 20.5 kg of heroin, a mobile phone, a power bank and a 13-feet-long PVC pipe (used to push in drug packets from under the border fence) were recovered by the BSF from Ali, they said.

    As it was a case “of utmost importance related to inter-border drug trafficking”, the probe was handed over to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), deputy director general (north) of the central agency Gyaneshwar Singh said.

    “It is an international drugs syndicate working from across the border. Suppliers are sitting across the fence and pushing in the drugs into India,” he said.

    In a video provided by the NCB, the arrested Pakistani national confesses to have been nabbed by BSF troops in the dead of the night on the said day from the “zero line” of India-Pakistan border.

    Seen handcuffed and flanked by NCB officers, he claims in the video that while he and his two associates were about to push in drugs to the Indian side, the BSF fired and the two men with him and those on the Indian side fled as he ducked to save himself.

    “The BSF caught me after opening the gates of the border fence,” he is heard saying.

    NCB deputy director (operations) K P S Malhotra said this was the “first operation in which a Pakistani national was arrested alive” from the international front area.

    There have been numerous instances of the BSF shooting dead drug smugglers along this border in the past.

    Malhotra said a man identified as Jarnail Singh has also been arrested by the NCB from Vadodara in Gujarat on Saturday on leads provided by the Pakistani man.

    Jarnail Singh, the receiver of the 20.5 kg heroin being smuggled from across the India-Pakistan border that day, is a resident of Ferozepur and has been absconding since the BSF nabbed the Pakistani man, he said.

    “Amjad Ali was put to sustained interrogation, which led to unearthing of the entire drug syndicate, which is being controlled by two Pakistani nationals who are, residents of Lahore and Kasur districts of Pakistan.” 

    “The Indian side receivers have also been identified. Raids have been conducted at possible hideouts in Punjab and Gujarat,” Malhotra said.

    The NCB said it will “also raise this issue at appropriate international forums and will also seek assistance in arrest of the Pakistani nationals who are involved with Amjad Ali in drug trafficking”.

    We are going to take the help of Interpol to nab and nail the international operatives of this syndicate, Gyaneshwar Singh said.

  • BSF nabs six Pakistani men from Punjab border

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Border Security Force on Friday apprehended six Pakistani youths from the area along the India-Pakistan international border in Punjab, official sources said.

    All those nabbed are aged between 20 and 21 years.

    They were apprehended from the border area in Amritsar around 5 PM, they said.

    The six youths, the sources said, are currently being interrogated by a joint team of security and intelligence agencies to ascertain if they reached the border inadvertently or had some ulterior motive.

    More details are awaited.