A BSF jawan at an outpost. Picture by Nishit Dholabhai

Kakkar (Indo-Pak international boundary in Punjab), Nov. 17: A lone BSF jawan at a border outpost here looks bored — there are hardly any Pakistani Rangers on the other side to keep watch on these days.

Islamabad appears to have reduced forces along the border here to tackle unrest in other parts of the country after President Pervez Musharraf imposed a state of emergency a fortnight back. But contrary to fears, the political uncertainty hasn’t led to any increase in subversive activities yet.

Rather, a cool breeze has been blowing along this stretch in Punjab, on this side of the border with Lahore. At least, so far.

The bad news — apparently — is for the Pakistani forces.

Intelligence inputs suggest that at least 21 Rangers have deserted the force in the wake of the emergency. Sources said more and more defence personnel are quitting because of fears that they would be made to fight fellow soldiers on the Afghan border or within the country.

“Outposts which had a platoon earlier now have just five to six personnel,” said a senior Border Security Force officer in Punjab.

At some posts, there are none.

Like the one S. Singh, a tribal from Chhattisgarh, watched through his binoculars. All he saw was a Pakistani flag fluttering in the breeze — the post was unmanned.

Sources said the Rangers have been deployed along the Afghan border in the North West Frontier Province and Waziristan. Others have been sent to Karachi, Rawalpindi and Gujranwala to prevent violence because of the political turmoil.

But reduced forces along the Pakistani stretch of the 553km international border in Punjab — densely populated on either side — haven’t eased worries on this side of the divide.

There are fears that Jammu and Kashmir might become more vulnerable with tension in the North West Frontier Province.

For instance, security analysts believe, infiltration into the Valley might increase from Mudrike, where the Lashkar-e-Toiba is headquartered in Pakistan, before winter peaks.

“When there is confusion among security forces and one thinks before executing an order, that is dangerous,” said an officer.

Militant infiltration isn’t the only worry. Drug smugglers have been taking advantage of the reduced deployment along the border.

The Amritsar and Firozpur sectors, both sensitive, have witnessed more incidents of heroin smuggling after the declaration of the emergency.

On Monday morning, metres from the zero line in the Amritsar sector, an alert BSF team seized eight kilograms of heroin.

The sources said smugglers, who use the “conceal-and-clear” method, hurl packets of narcotics across the barbed wire fences at night.