Aeroplane-shaped balloon from Pakistan found in Jammu

A balloon bearing the Pakistan International Airlines logo was found in Nai Basti, Jammu, raising security concerns. Officials suspect such objects are intended to distract security forces and create panic among citizens near the border.

Jammu: A suspicious aeroplane-shaped balloon with Pakistan International Airlines’ logo on it was found on Sunday in J&K’s Jammu city.

Officials said that the white and saffron-coloured Pakistani balloon was found in the Nai Basti area of Jammu and had ‘PIA’ written on it in green colour.

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Balloons released into the air from the Pakistani side across the international border have periodically been found in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts close to the border.

Sometimes, such suspicious objects have also been found near the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri and Poonch districts.

Drones have been used by terror outfits operating from across the border with the help of the Pakistani Army to carry weapons, drugs and cash to support terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

Special equipment is deployed by the Border Security Force (BSF) along the international border to trace and shoot down these drones.

In many incidents, these drones have been recovered on the ground before their payloads could be picked up by the terrorists or the overground workers.

A week ago, a similar aircraft-shaped balloon with the PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) logo on it was found in a forward area of the border town Ramgarh in Samba district.

Green and white in colour, the balloon lay on the ground, a police officer had said then. “The BSF troops manning a forward post had found it.

While drones have specific objectives to sustain terrorism, the purpose of balloons bearing Pakistani markings is believed to be meant to distract the attention of the security forces and create panic among the common citizens, intelligence agencies say.

When nine terror infrastructure sites were destroyed by the Indian Armed Forces in target-specific strikes during ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7, Pakistan retaliated by targeting civilian facilities along the LoC and the international border in J&K. Drones carrying explosives were extensively used by Pakistan to target civilian areas in the Jammu division.

Over a dozen such drones were also shot down by the Army when they were seen flying in the sky in Srinagar city.

In the increased escalation after Pakistan targeted civilian facilities and defence installations, 11 air bases of Pakistan were damaged extensively by the Indian Armed Forces on May 10.

India has made it clear that any future terror attack on Indian soil will be treated as an act of war by Pakistan.