Indian Armed Forces To Get 17 New Battalions To Counter Pakistan and China

The Indian Armed Forces will soon have 17 new battalions to guard the India-Pakistan border, the India-Bangladesh and the India-China border. The Border Security Forces (BSF) and the Indo Tibetian Border Police (ITBP) will get 17 new battalions to counter the growing tensions along the Indian borders. This decision of the Indian government was conveyed by top sources. 

The Border Security Forces guard the India-Pakistan and the India-Bangladesh Border while the ITBP protects the 3488 kilometres of the disputed Line of Actual Control with China. As reported by Telegraph India, a home ministry official stated that the government has decided to raise 17 new battalions among the two border guarding forces of India.

The official stated that the purpose to raise these new battalions is to dominate and secure India’s frontiers with Pakistan and China. He further explained the government is worried about the increasing physical presence of China in PoK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) which has been reported by the intelligence agencies of India.

The official of the home ministry also stated that the increasing friendship between China and Pakistan hints at the possibility of a military nexus between them which poses security threats to India. He further informed that the recruitment of fresh troops to raise these battalions of the BSF and ITBP will start soon and the plan is to deploy them within a year as tensions incessantly mount. To be able to carry out better patrolling and an enhanced vigil is the main idea behind these extra troops which India aims to build.

The BSF was established in 1965 and has 257,363 active personnel at present while the ITBP has 89,432 active personnel at present. Both of these border guarding forces are governed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, India. Both of these forces have the task of federal law enforcement as stated in their mandates and lie within the group of Central Armed Police Forces of India.

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