Search operation, flag march in villages near Indo-Pak border

Punjab Police and Border Security Force (BSF) on Sunday carried out a joint search operation and flag march in villages near Indo-Pak border, amid a heightened vigil in the wake of the Uri attack a week ago. The objective of carrying out search operation was to ensure safety, security and thwart any attempt by intruders coming from across the border, Pathankot police said.

As many as 150 security personnel including SWAT team members also participated in the search operation with Pathankot SP (Operation) Hem Pushp leading the Punjab police team. The operation was carried out in 12 villages, situated near Indo-Pak border and Jammu and Kashmir, which fall under Narot Jaimal Singh and Bamial police stations, police said.

The villages where search was conducted included Bamial, Dhalotar, Plah Vadda and Chhota, Bhupalpur, Dhinda and Dostpur. After the search operation, a flag march was also taken out by the security agencies, police said. On September 18, an alert was sounded in Punjab's border districts of Pathankot and Gurdaspur following the terror strike on an army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 18 soldiers.

Earlier this year, terrorists who had sneaked in from across the border had attacked Pathankot air base on the intervening night of January 1-2 while Dinanagar in Gurdaspur was targeted on July 27 last year. The Pathankot attack had claimed the lives of seven security personnel while four terrorists were killed.

Three heavily-armed terrorists wearing army fatigues had stormed a police station in Dinanagar town in Gurdaspur district last year killing seven persons, including a Superintendent of Police, before they were gunned down during a day-long operation.