NEW DELHI, India: The government on Saturday finalized the scheme to seal the Punjab border with Pakistan after the recent spurt in killings and the use of sophisticated weapons by the freedom fighters. The scheme was finalized at a high level meeting of the Union Home Ministry officials on Saturday. It envisaged the putting of barbed wires at the international border wherever possible and establishing more border posts. It was also decided to increase the number of sectors to facilitate better patrolling and vigilance. The security forces in the border areas will also be given more sophisticated weapons. The plan was chocked out in detail after the swift developments following Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s declaration that emergency in the State would be imposed as and when necessary. Meanwhile, a delegation of the Bhartya Janata Party led by L.D. Advani, pleaded with President R. Venkataraman for the deployment of army in the districts of Gurdaspur and Amritsar. Talking to the newsmen at the investiture ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan the Prime Minister said that the government was the. Situation in Punjab and it would do the needful as and when necessary. Asked about the sophisticated weapon’s used by the freedom fighters to carry out their acts in the State, Gandhi said it was obvious as to from where they were getting their arms. He did not mention the name of any country. Both Gandhi and Buta Singh made it clear that the paramilitary forces would be equipped with weapons of better quality.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 8, 1988
