India Bans Drones in Srinagar Near Pakistan Border After Jammu Air Base Attack

Since 2020, India has accused Pakistan of using drones to airdrop arms and ammunition for purported militants along the border in Jammu and Kashmir, while Indian security forces have been testing anti-drone jammer technology on the border with Pakistan.

Days after an attack on an Indian air base in Jammu, the Jammu and Kashmir district administration on Sunday banned the use and possession of drones in Srinagar.

The order makes the storage, sale, possession, use, and transport of drones and similar kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles illegal.

“To secure the aerial space near the vital installations and highly populated areas, it is imperative to discontinue the use of drones in all social and cultural gatherings to eliminate any risk of injury to the life and damage to property,” district magistrate Mohammad Aijaz wrote in the order.

People who already possess drones have been directed to report to the local police station. Similarly, government departments that use drones for mapping and surveys have been asked to inform police before launching the equipment.

Srinagar is the second district of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to ban drones.

In a first of its kind terror attack, two low-intensity improvised explosive devices were dropped by drones into an Indian air base in Jammu, injuring two personnel on 27 June. The base is located 14 km from the international border with Pakistan.

The following day, India’s Defence Ministry said it thwarted another drone attack near a military station in the Jammu region; initial investigations point the finger at Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

The latest act of aggression in Jammu was reported on 2 July when a quadcopter – allegedly from Pakistan – tried to enter Indian territory along the international border in the Arnia sector.

India’s External Affairs Ministry raised the security issue with Pakistan last week after a drone was allegedly spotted over the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

Last year, Pakistan shot down nearly half a dozen drones near the border, citing airspace violations.

Sourse: sputniknews.com