Punjab has put six of its border districts on high alert following the Indian Air Force’s strikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan, officials said. Ferozepur, Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, and Fazilka were on the list, an official spokesperson said.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh chaired a high-level law and order review meeting and ordered a series of measures.
However, there was no decision to evacuate people along the border, an official spokesperson said. The Chief Minister’s Personal Secretary Suresh Kumar, Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh, Home Secretary N.S. Kalsi, DGP Dinkar Gupta and DGP (Intelligence) V.K. Bhanwara were present at the meeting.
Contingency plans
Officials said 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 visit the border areas from Pathankot to Ferozepur by road on Wednesday, the spokesperson said.
The State government was in touch with the Union Home and Defence ministries, officials added. Captain Amrinder, who spoke to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, earlier tweeted his 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 Pulwama attack the Chief Minister, 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 by the Centre.
