Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 20: The Government of India (GoI) has decided to purchase weapons from Israel for Central Police Forces (CPFs) including the Border Security Force (BSF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) deployed along Pakistan and China borders respectively and other forces fighting militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and Naxalism in various parts of the country.
There has been large demand of the Israeli weapons and other infrastructure required by the para-military forces in fighting militancy and Naxalism.
Official sources told the Excelsior that a high level delegation of the Government of India comprising Prashant Nikam, Director (Police) in Ministry of Home Affairs, Rajiv Kumar, Director General of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Sudhir Kumar, DIG CISF, all experts in dealing with sophisticated weaponry had recently visited Tel Aviv City of Israel, the major arms production centre of the country and inspected a number of weapons and infrastructure required for the para-military forces operating on the borders as well as the hinterland.
Before setting off for Tel Aviv, the three members Panel had inter-acted with heads of all para-military forces to know their requirements especially the forces fighting on Pakistan and China frontiers and those engaged in tackling militants and Naxalites across the country including Jammu and Kashmir.
“The weapons and other infrastructure was likely to be procured shortly from the Israeli companies after approval of the para-military forces heads and the Ministry of Home Affairs,” sources said, adding that entire exercise was likely to be completed in the next couple of months.
Sources said the Israeli companies have modern weaponry and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) apart from other arms required by the Indian para-military forces. The Panel has reportedly finalised its list, which would be cleared by the MHA and then by the Union Cabinet before the orders were placed to the Israeli companies.
The demand for sophisticated weaponry had been felt by the BSF and the ITBP, which were deployed along International Border (IB) with Pakistan and Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China respectively in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country due to activation of the border and the LAC in the recent times.
Pointing out that Israeli weapons were not only useful for para-military forces operating on the borders, sources said: “the Panel has reported that even for dealing with normal law and order situations, the weapons were exceptional for the Central Police Forces”.
The para-military forces including BSF, CRPF, ITBP, CISF and SSB, operating in Jammu and Kashmir and rest of the country had quite often been raising the demand for sophisticated weaponry and other infrastructure facilities to deal effectively with the enemy troops, militants and law and order problem.
According to sources, it was in this context of rising demand of para-military forces for the weapons that the Government of India had deputed a high level expert committee to Israel to select the weapons as per demand and requirement of the forces.
The BSF has been deployed all along the International Border with Pakistan including Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat etc while the ITBP had been manning the heights on the LAC with China in Leh and North Eastern States.
Sources said some of the weapons the para-military forces have asked for could also be proved helpful in tackling normal law and order problems.
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