India, Israel discuss border security, terror threats

New Delhi: Amid continuing cross-border firing and infiltration from Pakistan, India and Israel have discussed how to ensure foolproof security along the international border by using sophisticated technology, besides enhancing security cooperation, officials said.

The two-day meetings of the India-Israel joint steering committee on homeland and public security, which concluded on Wednesday, also discussed how to step up cooperation to deal with the grave threat that terrorism poses, including by non-state actors, to peace and security.

India and Israel discussed threadbare how to ensure proper security along the international borders by using modern gadgets like electro-optical sensors and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a home ministry official said.

Following the September 2016 terror attack on an army camp in Uri, Israel had offered India its expertise for strengthening border fencing, stressing that the two countries share “similar challenges” on many fronts, including cross-border terrorism.

In a statement, the home ministry on Wednesday said the objectives of the meetings were capacity building and modernisation in the police forces besides border management. “Both sides agreed to work out the modalities to address these issues. The discussions were held in a friendly atmosphere and it was agreed to maintain sustained interactions to enhance security cooperation between the countries,” it said.

The meeting follows the resolve of the prime ministers of both the countries to combat the grave threat that terrorism poses to peace and security including from non-state actors, and with an aim to enhance cooperation and boost the bilateral relations, the statement said.

Israel’s ambassador to India Daniel Carmon, who led the Israeli delegation, tweeted: “Just concluded 2successful days of #Homeland and #PublicSecurity ,#steeringcommittee, #workinggroups ,w/field trips near #Delhi.Strong participation of #MHA & #InterMinisterial teams from both countries.We can all be very proud of our respective pros & experts”.

The Indian team was headed by additional secretary in the home ministry T.V.S.N. Prasad. During a trip to Israel in 2014, home minister Rajnath Singh had visited one of the border out-posts in Gaza and praised that country’s border management plans. Israel is now using electro-optical sensors to collect information via UAVs, an official said.

Sensors are used to collect data and information from towers along borders. The sensors were integrated with a command and control room operated by an officer, who directs the Israeli special forces in order to mitigate incoming threats. There were 515 infiltration incidents in Jammu and Kashmir in 2017 in which 75 militants were killed. In 2016, there were 454 cases of infiltration in which 45 militants were killed.

In January alone, eight civilians and six security personnel were killed and around 70 injured in ceasefire violations by Pakistan troops along Indo-Pak border in Jammu region. Pakistani troops carried out intense shelling along the IB in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts and from across the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts from 18 to 22 January. While there were no ceasefire violations by Pakistan reported along the IB since 22 January, intermittent shelling has taken place along the LoC.