Constable PK Shaw of the Border Security Force who had strayed into Pakistan in the Ferozepur sector on April 23 was repatriated to India by Pakistan on May 14. He had strayed into Pakistan while deployed to provide security to the farmers who were working in their fields.
The incident highlights the importance of putting in place a mechanism for dealing with such situations. Patrols of the two border guarding forces often come across each other during their daily operations. But the tense relations between India and Pakistan prevent any contact between them.
The lack of contact between the troops on the ground presents major challenges in resolving minor problems such as the straying across the border of cattle and individuals, whether civilian or security force personnel.
Among the tactical operations conducted by the Border Security Force in its primary role to promote a sense of security among border residents is the “kisan guard” – a patrol of three or four constables that protects agriculturists.
Shaw was a part of one such patrol when he inadvertently crossed over to Pakistan from a place with no border pillars in the vicinity.
Because of the paucity of troops and the large area to be covered, the participants in a kisan guard are spread over a large area, even as they remain within sight of each other.
One important factor that may have led to Shaw straying into Pakistani territory is that he as well as most members of his patrol were unfamiliar with the area.
That the Pakistani authorities published his photo in the media guaranteed that he would not be harmed. But once he had been apprehended, the Pakistanis were not expected to release him without interrogating him and extracting whatever information that he could give.
That would generally have taken about a week.
However, despite repeated contact with the Pakistani Rangers by Border Security Force officials at all levels, the escalation of tension between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of Pahalgam attack on May 22 prevented Shaw’s early release.
It was perhaps the reported apprehension of a Pakistan Ranger on May 3 and the cessation of hostilities on May 10 that finally resulted in Shaw being released. The Pakistani Ranger was released to his country an hour after Shaw was returned, The Telegraph reported.
The incident reminds me of a similar incident that occurred in my unit in the Hiranagar area of Samba in Jammu and Kashmir in the late 1990s.
It was a cold, cloudy morning when my jawan strayed into Pakistani territory in an area that had not been demarcated on ground properly. The terrain of the area from where he strayed also contributed to his being unable to identify the exact alignment of the border.
Moreover, that area had been witnessing intermittent heavy exchange of fire during that period because Pakistan had stopped recognising that line as the international border. They claimed that since the area was part of Jammu and Kashmir, it was also disputed territory.
As a result, Indian troops were unable to go to the extreme end of our territory in the normal course. This was among the reasons the jawan was unfamiliar with the exact alignment of the boundary.
Our efforts to contact the Pakistanis through flag meetings did not meet with success. However, a batchmate of mine commanding a unit adjacent to mine confirmed the welfare of my jawan during a scheduled meeting with his counterpart.
The director general of the Border Security Force also spoke with the director general of the Pakistan Rangers. This finally resulted in the safe return of the jawan after about a week.
The border created by British administrator C Radcliffe’s scalpel in 1947 is not a straight, smooth line – even though it appears to be so on the maps. It is possible for a person unfamiliar with the zigzag nature of the boundary to stray aross, as was the case with Shaw
Even civilians who live close to the border and cultivate land every day sometimes stray across and are retrieved after contacting the Pakistan Rangers.
This demonstrates why it is vital for the troops on ground to have better working relations. The government also needs to revive the ground rules for border guarding forces, which were suspended since the 1971 war. These rules laid out the procedure for interaction of border guarding forces to resolve minor problems.
India should consider replicating protocols established with its eastern neighbour, Bangladesh. The Comprehensive Border Management Plan signed in 2011 and Guidelines for Border Guarding Authorities signed in 1975 lay down guidelines for interaction between the Border Security Force and Border Guards Bangladesh.
These guidelines facilitated the retrieval in some time in 2013-’14 of a busload of Indian civilians whose driver, unfamiliar with the area, drove into Bangladesh as the improvised wooden gate at the Customs post was open.
A phone call to the sector commander of the Bangladesh force enabled the return of everyone within four or five hours. Such mechanisms and better communication with our counterparts will result in better border management
The commanders on the ground also must ensure that the troops are properly familiarised with their area of deployment. The system of pre-induction training of troops to a new area must be followed strictly.
Sanjiv Krishan Sood is a former Additional Director General of the Border Security Force who retired after 38 years in service. His Twitter handle is @sood_2.
