Amritsar on High Alert: Pak Gangs Target Military Bases, Intel Warns of Escalation

Security agencies in India are sounding the alarm in Punjab following intelligence reports indicating that military bases in Amritsar, including the critical Khasa Cantonment, are on the radar of Pakistani criminal and militant gangs. This serious threat has prompted an immediate surge in surveillance and security measures across the border state. The alert comes amid a backdrop of escalating cross-border infiltration attempts and heightened drone activity from Pakistan, often involving the smuggling of weapons and narcotics to fuel destabilization efforts in India. This isn't a new playbook, but the direct targeting of military installations marks a significant escalation. Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has a long history of backing such networks, using narco-terrorism as a weapon to destabilize India, particularly in border states like Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir. Recent joint operations by the Border Security Force and Punjab Police have already recovered substantial caches of arms and heroin dropped by drones near Amritsar and Tarn Taran, highlighting the active nexus at play. The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs recently noted a sharp increase in drone-assisted smuggling, with Punjab accounting for the vast majority of such incidents in 2025. In response, top officials from the Indian Army, Border Security Force, and Punjab Police convened just this week to discuss a unified strategy, focusing on improved intelligence sharing, anti-drone measures, and joint training. The Director General of Police, Punjab, has also been actively reviewing security arrangements, urging increased checkpoints and patrolling across the state to deter criminal elements. Residents of Amritsar and other border areas are urged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities, as security forces brace for continued challenges in what is clearly becoming a more aggressive hybrid warfare push.