India plans ‘laser wall’ along border with Pakistan following attack on air base

India plans to put up laser fences along “vulnerable” stretches of its border with arch rival Pakistan after a deadly attack on one of its air force bases, a home ministry official said Tuesday.

New Delhi blames gunmen belonging to a Pakistan-based militant group for the audacious attack on the base in Punjab state close to the Pakistan border earlier this month that left seven soldiers dead.

“We will soon use laser wall technology developed by India’s Border Security Force to plug all riverine and other unfenced vulnerable stretches along the Pakistan border in Punjab,” said a senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

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A laser beam over a river sets off a loud siren when someone passes through it, the Press Trust of India reported this week.

Laser fences have already been tested along stretches of the border in the disputed Kashmir region, an unnamed security official said on Tuesday.

India and Pakistan, which have fought two wars over Kashmir, last week postponed talks after the fatal January 2 attack on the Pathankot air base.

The assault came just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian leader to visit Pakistan in 11 years, raising hopes of a softening in relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

The militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed blamed for the base assault staged a 2001 assault on the Indian parliament which brought the two countries to the brink of war.