Punjab Police chief Gaurav Yadav on Wednesday said Pakistan’s spy agency ISI is waging a proxy war to project Punjab as a “highly disturbed” state. He said arms and ammunition are being sent through drones and attempts are being made to trigger incidents like grenade attacks.
Talking to mediapersons in Chandigarh, the DGP said Punjab Police is giving a strong response to foil the nefarious designs of the ISI operating from across the border.
Answering a query, Yadav said arms, ammunition and explosives are being pushed into Punjab from Pakistan using drones.
“A proxy war is going on. (Pakistan Army Chief) Asim Munir is aggressive... But India is giving a befitting reply. Their (Pakistan’s) attempt is to disturb Punjab. Therefore, they are sending arms through drones. Their masterminds are sitting in North America, Europe, Southeast Asia and Gulf countries,” the DGP said.
On grenade attacks targeting police stations, Yadav said Pakistan wants to disturb peace in Punjab.
The DGP said “Separatism did not get any support here because Punjabis are non-radicalised. They (Pakistan) want to disturb peace in Punjab as separatism has no support here. We keep thwarting their nefarious designs.”
The DGP said Pakistan is so desperate that when no incident occurs, false claims of grenade attacks are spread on social media. “They are conspiring to project Punjab as a highly disturbed place,” Yadav said.
“The PIOs (Pakistan Intelligence Officers) are asking people to make fake videos for money. They have a well-thought-out plan to project that there is chaos in Punjab,” he added.
However, Yadav said all incidents related to grenade attacks on police stations have been traced and the modules behind them have been busted.
When asked about ISI’s involvement, the DGP said there is clear evidence pointing to the agency’s role. He said foreign handlers linked to the ISI are trying to disrupt peace in India, especially in Punjab.
“They are waging a proxy war, a low-intensity war, by carrying out such incidents to disturb Punjab,” he said. On drones coming from across the border, Yadav said around 500 drones were spotted this year, of which 263 were brought down.
“Some drones beat our systems while some return to Pakistan. It is a technological battle, which will continue as long as Pakistan is determined to wage a proxy war,” the DGP said.
Responding to a question on rising firing incidents, Yadav said the national crime rate is 450 per lakh population, while Punjab’s rate stands at 227, which is about half the national average. He said Haryana’s crime rate is 730.
On target killings, the DGP said police trace and investigate all such cases thoroughly. “(But) the strategic impact of a killing in Punjab may be different from the strategic impact of a killing in Odisha or Madhya Pradesh because ours is a border state. We understand the seriousness of crime,” he said.
He said police investigate each case carefully and cited the killing of international kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal Ambian in 2022. He said the accused were tracked for two years before being arrested.
“I assure the people of Punjab that in the coming time, we will root out organised crime from the state,” he said.
To a question on how people like dismissed police officer Raj Jit Singh and AAP MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra managed to flee the country, Yadav said the state has taken up the issue of passport issuance, which is not integrated.
“The regional passport offices are not interconnected. They do not talk to each other,” he said. Giving an example, he said someone gets a passport issued by changing his name from another state and it cannot be cross checked.
Moreover, criminal records are not checked at the national level, the DGP said. “We want a systematic change and the government of India is responsive,” Yadav said.
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