Punjab to depute ministers in sensitive districts bordering Pakistan

Chandigarh, May 9 Amid heightened tension, the AAP government in Punjab, which shares a 532-km border with Pakistan, on Friday announced to depute Cabinet ministers in all six sensitive border districts -- Ferozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran -- that have already been placed on high alert.

Also, the Cabinet will be meeting here to review preparedness and arrangements in hospitals, fire stations and the availability of ration across the state.

An official statement by the government said that after the meeting in Chandigarh, at least 10 ministers will reach the districts bordering the International Border.

Ministers Lal Chand Kataruchak and Ravjot Singh would go to Pathankot and Gurdaspur districts, while Kuldeep Dhaliwal and Mohinder Bhagat will take charge of Amritsar district, and Laljit Bhullar and Harbhajan Singh will reach Tarn Taran.

Likewise, Ministers Hardeep Mundian, along with Gurmeet Singh Khudian, will reach Ferozepur, and Baljit Kaur and Tarunpreet Sondh will look after arrangements in Fazilka.

In Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, authorities declared the closure of all educational institutions till Saturday.

The Chandigarh administration issued an air warning of a possible attack, following which sirens were sounded. “This is a precautionary measure in view of an air warning received from the Air Force Station. Citizens are advised to stay calm, remain inside their homes, and await further instructions from official sources,” said a statement from the DC’s office.

Hours later, the administration said the warning alert was over, but as a precautionary measure, all residents were advised to stay indoors.

In Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, authorities declared the closure of all educational institutions till Saturday.

A barrage of coordinated disinformation has been carried out by certain social media handles in general and mainstream media in particular in Pakistan with the sole objective to instil fear among the Indian masses, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said on Friday.

The fact-check unit of the PIB said a video of a drone attack in Jalandhar in Punjab was widely being circulated to create panic among the masses. The PIB investigated the video and found that it was an unrelated video of a farm fire. The video had a timeline of 7.39 p.m., while the drone attack began later. The same was backed by the Deputy Commissioner of Jalandhar.

Amid heightened tension, Punjab has ordered the closure of all educational institutes and cancelled exams. The state government has set up a control room for the convenience of people. It can be reached at landline phone numbers 0172-2741803 and 0172-2749901.

Amid soaring tensions between India and Pakistan, people in some border villages of Punjab have started moving to safer places. Villagers settled in Amritsar, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, and Tarn Taran districts close to the International Border began shifting their belongings to safer places despite the BSF, the Indian Army and even the local civil authorities not having issued any official evacuation orders.

The leave of all Punjab Police personnel was also cancelled.

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