India claims sharp rise in drones flying drugs over Pakistan border

Indian border forces have said they are battling an unprecedented "drone menace" infiltrating the border with Pakistan, fuelling the drugs crisis in the state of Punjab and raising serious security issues.

- Hannah Ellis-Petersen , Aakash Hassan

Officials from India's border security force (BSF) in the border state of Punjab told the Guardian they had intercepted 90 drones from Pakistan so far in 2023, the highest on record.

They said the number was "increasing every month".

Most carried consignments of opium and heroin, which are likely to have come from Afghanistan, but some have dropped weapons, including pistols and Chinese-made assault rifles.

The drones, which are up to 2.4 metres (8ft) wide and have high-resolution cameras attached, have been detected as far as 7 miles inside India's border. The drugs are often carried in small sacks or fizzy drink bottles.

Given the longstanding animosity between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, which have gone to war four times, Indian border officials said the growing number of drones coming over from Pakistan - using increasingly advanced technology presented a significant security risk.

"Anything which does not have a legitimate entry into India is a security challenge for us," said Atul Fulzele, the inspector general of BSF in Punjab.