Six Punjab border districts on high alert after strike
PTI, CHANDIGARH: Punjab has its put its six border districts on high alert in the wake of the Indian Air Force’s strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan, officials said.
As part of the state’s preparedness to deal with any contingency in view of the IAF strike, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh chaired a high-level law and order review meeting and ordered a spate of measures.
The meeting arrived at the conclusion that there was no need to panic and decided against evacuating the border areas, an official spokesperson said.
However, six districts — Ferozepur, Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Fazilka — were put on high alert, the spokesperson said.
They said the deputy commissioners and the police chiefs of the border districts have been asked to put in place all contingency plans to ensure the protection and safety of the citizens.
As a confidence-building measure, the chief minister will himself visit the border areas from Pathankot to Ferozepur by road tomorrow, the spokesperson said.
The Chief Minister discussed all aspects of the current situation with the top brass of the police and civil administration, including Personal Secretary Suresh Kumar, Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh, Home Secretary NS Kalsi, DGP Dinkar Gupta and DGP (Intelligence) VK Bhanwara.
Amarinder Singh’s media Advisor Raveen Thukral, who was also present at the meeting, said the CM directed the officials to monitor the situation closely and remain alert.
The state government was in touch with the Union home and defence ministries to remain abreast of the situation, he said.
The government was fully prepared to deal with any eventuality, Thukral added.
The Chief Minister, who spoke to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, on the situation, earlier tweeted his full support for the strikes.
“Great job by the #IndianAirForce. The #IAFStrikes have sent the much needed signal to Pakistan and the terrorists it’s harbouring – don’t think you can get away with acts like the #PulwamaAttack. Bravo to the #IAF men and my full support for the action,” he wrote.
Immediately after the deadly Pulwama attack on a CRPF convoy, Amarinder Singh, a former Army captain, had made it clear that he was in favour of a strong retaliatory action and that the Congress would support any action taken by the central government.
“They have killed 41, we should kill 82 of theirs,” he had said.
An emotional Amarinder had also said if Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan could not arrest the JeM chief, who operates from the Pakistani soil, then “we will do it for him”.
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Guj on ‘high alert’
PTI, AHMEDABAD: Gujarat police on Tuesday issued a “high alert” across the state followingIndia’s preemptive strike on Jaish-e-Mohammed’s (JeM) biggest terror campin Pakistan.
Gujarat’s Director General of Police Shivanand Jha cancelled a conference on crime-related issues scheduled at the Police Bhavan in Gandhinagar and asked all officers who reached here to attend it to return to their respective headquarters in view of the alert sounded in the state.
“In view of the action on terrorists across the border by IAF, all establishments have been put on high alert,” a message from DGP’s office to the district headquarters said. “The conference scheduled for today here at this office stands cancelled and all officials are requested to return to their headquarters,” it added. In a swift and precise air strike following the Pulwama attack, India bombed and destroyed Jaish-e-Mohammed’s biggest training camp in Pakistan early Tuesday, killing a “very large number” of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders, officials said.
The operation, described as a non-military, preemptive strike, was welcomed by the entire political spectrum and military experts who had been advocating retribution after the February 14 suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama claimed by JeM.
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Alert sounded in Himachal Pradesh
PTI, SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh police on Tuesday issued an alert for all districts in the state in view of a pre-dawn strike by the Indian Air Force on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camp inside Pakistan, an official said.
In view of India’s air strike and resultant security scenario, an alert has been issued to all district SPs in Himachal Pradesh to ensure safety of vital installations and also to keep sharp vigil in their respective districts, Himachal Pradesh Police spokesperson and SP (Law and Order) Khushhal Sharma said.
It has also been advised to pay more attention in communally sensitive localities and to ensure safety and security of Kashmiri people living in Himachal Pradesh, he said.
In a swift and precise air strike following the Pulwama attack, India bombed and destroyed Jaish-e-Mohammed’s biggest training camp in Pakistan early Tuesday, killing a “very large number” of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders, officials said.
The operation, described as a non-military, preemptive strike, was welcomed by the entire political spectrum and military experts who had been advocating retribution after the February 14 suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama claimed by JeM.
