A month since hostilities were put on hold by India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor, the neighbour continues to provoke India by dropping arms and ammunitions through drones. Data reviewed shows that 24 drones were brought down by the Border Security Force (BSF) between May 14 and June 8.
This was immediately after India put Operation Sindoor on hold and both sides agreed to a cessation of hostilities after air strikes over three days.
India began Operation Sindoor on the intervening night of May 7 and 8, targeting terror hubs in Bahawalpur, Muridke and seven other locations. On May 10, the Pakistan DGMO called his Indian counterpart, and an agreement was reached to hold fire.
Union government data reveals that from May 7-13, four drones were sent by Pakistan, carrying payloads of small arms and narcotics in the Punjab sector. On the early morning of May 8, Pakistan had sent a swarm of drones over Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan as a retaliatory response to India’s anti-terror action. However, as per defence officials, most of these drones did not carry any payload and appeared to be for the purpose of surveillance.
On June 10, BSF Punjab frontier recovered a DJI Mavic 3 classic drone near Tarn Taran’s Mehdipur. A total of 484 grams of heroin wrapped in a yellow polythene with an iron loop and illuminating strip were also recovered. On June 5, a DJI Air 3 drone was also recovered from the same area. Forty-six live 9mm rounds were recovered separately from the India-Pakistan border area. On June 1, four drones carrying narcotics were recovered of which two were damaged. The same pattern of DJI drones carrying narcotics was observed all through the last week of May, BSF officials in Punjab sector said.
This year, so far, more than 100 drones have been brought down by BSF in Punjab sector, as per official data.
