Patiala-Former IPS officer and Senior Congress leader Gurinder Singh Dhillon has written a letter to India’s Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging urgent intervention to strengthen security along the international border in Punjab. In his message, Dhillon welcomed Amit Shah to Punjab and highlighted the serious security challenges being faced along the state’s 533-kilometre international border with Pakistan.
Dhillon stated that the people of Punjab have always been defenders of the country’s borders, but the current situation in the border belt has become extremely critical for both internal security and national security. He noted that the first line of defence is handled by the Border Security Force (BSF), while the second line of defence is managed by the Punjab Police.
According to him, recent floods and the increasing use of drones across the border have made the Punjab-Pakistan international border highly porous and vulnerable to security threats. He warned that without direct intervention and support from the Government of India, it would be difficult to make the border fully secure against these emerging challenges.
In his letter, Dhillon suggested several steps to improve security. He called for a separate financial and monitoring system for the borders of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, along with a special financial package. He also proposed sanctioning seven Indian Reserve battalions by recruiting youth from the seven police districts located along the Punjab border.
He further recommended installing AI-based CCTV surveillance systems along both lines of defence with a joint monitoring mechanism involving the BSF and Punjab Police. Additionally, he urged the central government to build metalled roads and bridges along the second line of defence by providing special funds through central road and border development schemes to enable faster movement of security forces.
Dhillon concluded by appealing to the Home Minister to consider these measures at the earliest, stressing that such steps are essential to strengthen security and address the growing threats along Punjab’s international border