ABSTRACT
India’s approach to border management has evolved in response to the cross-border threats, challenges and opportunities that the country faced over the decades. Despite the war with Pakistan in 1947-48 and the Chinese takeover of Xinjiang and Tibet in 1949-50 with potential security ramifications for India, not much efforts were made by the Government of India to clearly define the country’s international borders and secure them. Consequent to the wars, borders with China and Pakistan became hard and highly regulated borders. At the same time, imperatives of open borders with Nepal and Bhutan and a semi-regulated border with Myanmar necessitated that these borders be kept soft and lightly guarded to facilitate easy cross-border movements of border inhabitants. By 1993, the entire border of Punjab with Pakistan was fenced off and the strength of the Border Security Force was raised to 149 battalion. Besides cross border movement of militants, Punjab border also witnessed increasing trend of drug smuggling.
