India's Border Security Force (BSF) announced on Thursday that eight "laser walls" have been operationalized along the Punjab leg of the India-Pakistan international border (TOI/PTI). A further four laser walls are expected to be constructed within the next few days. Laser walls are infra-red and laser beam intrusion detection systems aimed at preventing cross border intrusion, specifically in areas where round the clock manned patrols or barbed wire installations are difficult to implement due to unfriendly terrain. BSF announced two years ago that it will be installing a total of 45 laser walls along the international border in the Punjab and Jammu regions.
India launches final satellite for regional navigation system
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched the seventh and the final satellite of India's Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) on Thursday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh (IBT, TOI). IRNSS is a regional positioning satellite system and is expected to provide position accuracy of up to 20 meters in the Indian region. Currently the largest positioning system is the Global Positioning System owned by the U.S. Air Force.
Pakistan has done everything it can to root out militants from the Waziristan region, its foreign secretary said on Wednesday (NYT). Asked to respond to Afghanistan’s request for Pakistan to wipe out militants who shelter in Pakistan, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said to reporters in New Delhi, "Pakistan has already taken all necessary action against all groups operating in northern Waziristan and elsewhere." The Afghan government has grown increasingly frustrated by what it perceives as Pakistan’s ambivalence about bringing Taliban leaders to the negotiating table with Afghanistan.