Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and discussed the issue of drones and drugs on the Indian-Pakistan border, among other topics, the Punjab CM office said.

Punjab CM also told Shah that the drug mafia is being given “protection” by Pakistan. During the meeting that lasted for about 40 minutes near the Home Minister’s residence in the national capital, both leaders discussed the coordination between the Centre and the state to further strengthen border security.

Punjab CM Mann, after the meeting, took to Twitter and said, “We discussed the issue of drones and drugs on the border and the issue of shifting the barbed wire on the border was also discussed.”

According to Border Security Force (BSF), in 2022, a total of 22 drones were captured by the jawans.

In addition, last year, according to BSF, a total of 316 Kg of drugs were seized by the BSF and the BSF along the Punjab border killed two Pakistani intruders.
The BSF earlier this year said, “The troops of the Punjab Frontier have maintained an extremely high level of alertness and vigil. Resultantly, BSF has successfully detected and captured 22 drones and seized 316.988 kgs of heroin, 67 weapons, 850 rounds and killed two Pakistan intruders and apprehended 23 Pakistan nationals in different incidents.”

BSF, Punjab Frontier is responsible for safeguarding the 553-km long tough and challenging India-Pakistan International Border in Punjab.
Mann further asked the Home Minister to release the state’s stalled rural development fund.

“I asked to release Punjab’s stalled rural development fund soon. Centre and the state will work together on the issue of law and order,” Mann wrote in his tweet.

According to the Punjab CM office, there was also a discussion about the early deployment of the SSP of the Punjab cadre in Chandigarh.

The meeting regarding law and order comes against the backdrop of the Ajnala incident in which self-styled Sikh preacher and Khalistani sympathiser Amritpal Singh and his supporters, carrying swords and guns, clashed with police at a police station in Amritsar for the release of one of his aides.

Six police personnel, including a superintendent of police-rank officer, were injured in the clash last week.