Pathankot attack: Defence Ministry wants to make BSF more accountable

New Delhi, Jan 12: A high level meeting in New Delhi will be convened to discuss border security following the Pathankot attack. The Defence Ministry will lead these talks to discuss ways of making the Border Security Force more accountable for infiltrations.

There have been problems on this front and unless and until some are not made accountable the problem of infiltration is bound to persist.

While there have been lapses while dealing with the Pathankot attack, the crux of the problem still lies in the border security. If the security along the border is strong, then the problem of infiltration would cease to exist.

Making the BSF more accountable

Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar and Home Minister, Rajnath Singh will hold a meeting on Tuesday, Jan 12 to discuss the issue relating to border security. There is a need to fix accountability in such issues the Defence Ministry feels. Moreover an analysis on the response mechanism during the Pathankot attack would also be conducted.

While there has been praise for the security forces for thwarting a design by the terrorists to blow up crucial parts of the air force base, questions are also being raised over whether the IAF appreciated the leads and intelligence they got regarding the attack.

Officials say that the very fact that the terrorists gained entry into the base itself is surprising. This was stated by the Defence Minister, Parrikar too while addressing the media after the attack.

However, the issue of infiltration would be the key point of discussion. The Home Ministry had sought for a report from the BSF about the infiltration.

It was found that in some areas thermal imagers and sensors were not working. There is a need for accountability in such issues, officials say.