Punjab border villages on alert after surgical strikes

Chandigarh, Sep 29 (IANS) Villages along Punjab’s border with Pakistan were put on high alert on Thursday after the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes on the LoC, official sources said.

Schools in the border belt were ordered closed following the escalation of tension along the Line of Control (LOC) in Jammu and Kashmir, the sources said.

There were reports that the Punjab government, following directions from the union home ministry, could order evacuation of villages in a 10-km area along the border with Pakistan in Punjab.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has called a meeting in this regard later on Thursday.

Punjab shares a 553-km border with Pakistan that is manned by the para-military Border Security Force (BSF)

Being a frontier state, Punjab has seen most action in both the wars with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971.