Indian Panjab’s Own Anti-Drone System; Pakistan General Issues Nuclear Threat

On 9 Aug, Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann launched an anti-drone system aiming to check the smuggling of weapons and drugs through drones from Pakistan. The CM said, Baaz Aakh (Hawk Eye) system will be deployed as the second line of defence in the border districts in coordination with the Border Security Force. He noted that Panjab will be the first Indian state to have its own anti-drone system deployed at the border areas. Panjab shares a 553 km border with Pakistan, spanning the districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Pathankot, Fazilka, Ferozepur, and Gurdaspur. On 15 Aug, Mann addressed a state-level Independence Day function in Faridkot, focusing on the achievements of his three-year-old Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. However, in Ludhiana, where AAP state chief Aman Arora was the chief guest, families of freedom fighters and martyrs walked out of the district level Independence Day function at Punjab Agricultural University even before the event commenced. They discarded the mementos and gifts given by the govt, leaving them at the venue to mark their protest. The aggrieved families accused the authorities of dishonoring their sacrifices by failing to provide even the most basic arrangements. ‘There were not enough chairs, the tent could not shield people from the scorching sun, and those sitting since morning were not even given water,’ said Chetandeep Singh, district president of the Freedom Fighters’ Dependents Association. Meanwhile, the Sikh community in Peshawar celebrated Pakistan's Independence Day on 14 Aug with enthusiasm, donning green turbans and white attire to symbolize the national flag. Concurrently, emboldened by the US President Donald Trump’s support, Pakistan's General Asim Munir has threatened to destroy any infrastructure India builds that could impede water flow to Pakistan. He warned that as a nuclear power, Pakistan will take half the world down with it if it faces an existential crisis. ‘We will wait for India to build a dam, and when it does so, we will destroy it,’ Munir said at an event in Tampa, Florida, US adding, ‘The Indus river is not the Indians' family property’ (earlier coverage).