* Army’s no to even partial revocation of AFSPA
Sanjeev Parga
l
UDHAMPUR, June 17: In a startling revelation, Northern Army Command chief Lt Gen KT Parnaik said today that no compromise including dismantling of structures at village Chumar in Ladakh was made to end over a fortnight long standoff with China in Daulat Beg Oldi sector in which Indian Army and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China had virtually come face-to-face along the Line of Actual Control in April-May this year.
Lt Gen Parnaik, who is relinquishing office on June 30 on superannuation and being replaced by Lt Gen Sanjeev Chachra, told a news conference at Northern Command Headquarters here this afternoon on the occasion of 42nd Raising Day of the Command that even partial revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was not acceptable to the Army as this would be exploited by the militants to make their bases in the areas where the Act was not in force and carry out operations in other areas.
The Northern Command chief, who had a distinguished stint in the Command spanning about two and a half years, said Army along with other security agencies, para-military forces and police have launched `Operation Shiva’ to ensure peaceful pilgrimage to Shri Amarnath ji shrine this year, beginning June 28, following inputs that the militants could use toothpaste, book and boot bombs to target the yatris and the security forces. He added that awareness among the pilgrims was the best option to counter the militant threats though security agencies would take all steps to ensure that the terrorists didn’t succeed in their designs.
In yet another important revelation, the Army General said 2010 summer agitation that led to a number of casualties in the Kashmir Valley had been sponsored through Social Networking Sites and not through mobile telephones or other modes of communications.
On the killing of two Indian Army soldiers by Pakistani troops along with Lashkar terrorists in Mankote area of Mendhar sector in Poonch district on January 8, he said “our response was very aggressive. It was more than what they did”.
Responding to a question on reported demolition of structures by India in Chumar area of Ladakh for the return of Chinese troops to pre-April 15 situation in Daulat Beg Oldi sector, Lt Gen Parnaik: “no compromise was made to end the stand off with China in the Ladakh sector. Ultimately, the whole issue was resolved with Chinese reverting to the pre-April 15 positions. We didn’t give in to any of their (the China’s) unusual demands. No structures were destroyed”.
He said the Army had deliberately chosen not to make any public comments on the stand off when it was going on as the Central Government including the Ministry of External Affairs had taken up the responsibility to do so.
“While the stand off with China was going on, Army had deliberately chosen not to make any public comments. Reason is that the task of informing people was taken by the Government of India and the Foreign Office was dealing with it directly,” he said.
Lt Gen Parnaik said China had violated the protocol when its troops put up tents in Daulat Old Beg sector in Ladakh region on April 15.
“On April 15, China came in and put up tents in the area. They decided to stay put. It was violation of the protocol. The matter went up to the Foreign Office. We had series of meetings. Foreign office was in touch with Beijing to de-escalate the situation,” the Northern Army Command chief, who was in the forefront to deal with the situation in Ladakh at the time of standoff, said.
He said the situation was de-escalated without any compromises.
“I repeat that no compromise was made and Chinese reverted to the pre-April 15 situation after over a fortnight long tensions. That is how the situation was de-escalated,” the General said.
On the issue of the stand off with China, Parnaik said, “There was no compromise. We lost nothing. We dismantled none of our defences. We broke none of our structures, which is a speculation.
“It was achieved without any compromise…And within the realm of the BPTA (Border Peace and Tranquility Agreement) treaty, which exists. There was a simultaneous effort on the ground, at the tactical level by our formations, as well as the dialogue between the two countries at the level of Foreign Office,” he said.
The Northern Army Commander observed that the Indian border with China, especially in Ladakh, has a “major problem” because it is not firmly delineated.
He said there were large areas of different perceptions. “The Chinese feel that their border extends to that line, we feel that our border extends to the line we believe to be ours. So, the areas recognized are the areas with different perceptions,” he added.
Therefore, he said, the PLA and the Indian Army continued to patrol these areas up to their area of perception and in doing so, they come across each other’s patrol regularly. When that happens, there is a face-off.
“The entire process is peaceful. Whenever there is a face-off, we show manners to each other. We convince each other to de-escalate the situation. They go to their side and we return to our side,” Lt Gen Parnaik said.
He added that there are established methods of dealing with stand-offs. “These methods include communicating on the hotline… We have flag meetings. We have border personnel meeting. Besides, there are protocols which are followed by both the countries,” he asserted.
On April 15, when Chinese troops put up tents in Ladakh area, they violated the protocol, which led to the stand off, he said.
It may be mentioned here that both the sides stuck to their stands for nearly a fortnight and speculations were rife that External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid might put off his May 8 visit to China. However, the standoff ended following reports that both sides had retreated to pre-April 15 positions and that India had also demolished some structures in Chumar, which overlooked Korakoram National Highway in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), where Chinese troops were reportedly active.
Insisting that the revocation of AFSPA might put at stake the “fragile” peace existing in the State, Lt Gen Parnaik said it has given advice to the Centre on the issue and it was for the Government to take a final call.
“It is a measured Act. AFSPA protects our officers and jawans who are faced with unusual situation,” he said.
The Army Commander even opposed partial withdrawal of AFSPA on the ground that the militants would shift to the areas, where the Act was not in force.
“The militants might not carry out their activities from those areas but direct operations in the other areas, where the Act existed,” he apprehended.
In reply to a specific question on partial revocation of the Act, Lt Gen Parnaik said there was a possibility that militants might use it to their advantage.
He said, “If AFSPA is revoked partially, there is a possibility that militants might use it to their advantage. They may use the areas from where the Act has been removed as place to regroup.
“I am not saying they may carry out terrorist operations in those places, but they can use the area to launch attacks at some other place,” he said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had repeatedly been demanding partial withdrawal of AFSPA especially from the peaceful areas, where the Army hasn’t operated for past quite sometime.
Lt Gen Parnaik said the AFSPA divests huge powers in the Army, but the Indian forces have never misused it.
“The Army might have got increased powers under the Act, but the ethos of the Army and the drill which we go through train us to have restrain on ourselves. So, to say AFSPA has been misused would not be right. The Army has always used AFSPA in the right way,” the General said.
“With the use of AFSPA, the situation has remained peaceful for over last couple of years. If AFSPA would have been so draconian, the situation would not have become so peaceful,” the Northern Army Command chief observed.
The Lt Gen said the existing situation in the State might change if breathing space is provided to the militants. He added that AFSPA was neither a draconian law nor it was being misused.
“We need to consolidate our position. The peace, which you see, as I had mentioned earlier, is very fragile. It might get disrupted with a couple of triggers from the militants. So, we need to control the situation,” he said.
The General insisted that if administration wants to strengthen peace in the State, it would have to take control of terrorist funding and the use of cyber space by them.
“We have to also put a check on the radicalization of people besides tackling residual terrorists, who are operating in the State. If we manage to succeed in all this, the situation will be much better,” he said.
Lt Gen Parnaik said: “we have provided our professional advice to the Centre, now it is for them to decide whether to remove AFSPA or not.”
However, he added, noting that general elections and Assembly elections in the State are due next year and in view of the terror infrastructure that exists in the neighbouring country, the General said, “It is important to keep the situation under control.”
Moreover, he said, the proposed pullout of United States from Afghanistan and race that who would rule Afghanistan was also a cause of worry.
Lt Gen Parnaik disclosed that 2010 summer agitation in Kashmir had been planned through Social Networking Sites.
“We were wrong as we didn’t monitor the Sites at that time. We concentrated on mobile telephone calls and SMSes while the vested interests used Social Networking Sites. We understood their designs later and took pre-emptive measures,” he said.
To a question on educated youths joining militancy, he preferred to call them as radicalized. “They are not educated but radicalized,” he said.
On infiltration bids made by terrorists across the border, particularly during the upcoming Monsoon season when rivulets are filled with water and it becomes difficult for Army to maintain a strict vigil, the General said the situation would be tough for both sides.
However, he said the Army has technology oriented equipments and physical ways to check the infiltration.
The Army Commander said there was a need to look into this radicalization and Army was working in coordination with the Government agencies to check this kind of trend.
Asserting that definitely it is a matter of concern for all (the joining of educated youths into the militancy), he, however, said that this trend was not widely accepted as most of the militants coming from Pakistan were illiterate, criminal and poor, who were driven to militancy for monetary and other considerations.
“It will be tough for our forces, but even they (the militants) will have to face problems,” he said, adding that the Army have got ways to keep vigil on any movement along the fence. He said joint teams of different security agencies were engaged in countering the infiltration attempts all along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.
In response to a question on whether he would have a regret over Army not being allowed to give adequate response to Pakistan on the killing of two Army soldiers at Mankote on January 8 this year in which the head of one of the jawan was taken away, Lt Gen Parnaik dispelled the impression that Army remained mute spectator to the killings.
“There was definitely anger among our jawans. When I visited the spot for assessment of the situation, our soldiers wanted retaliation. But, we maintained restraint and took no decision in haste. Pakistan had violated Geneva Convention and ceasefire agreement. We didn’t do that.
“However, this didn’t mean that we did nothing. This is the wrong impression. Our response was very aggressive. It was more than what they did. Our troops are always capable of tackling any kind of situation. I won’t disclose when and where but our response was very affective”, the Northern Army Command chief said.
He added that he had assured the agitated jawans at the time of killings of two soldiers that “our response would be adequate but we must have patience and use restrain”. He said Pakistan Army, their Special Forces and Border Action Team of Lashkar-e-Toiba were responsible for the attack.
The Northern Army Commander’s remarks on aggressive response to Pakistan on the killing of two Indian Army soldiers on January 8 assumed quite significance as there had been lot of resentment across the country over “inaction” of the Government of India to the killings including beheading of one soldier.
Asserting that the action taken by the Army can’t be publicly disclosed, the GOC-in-C Northern Command said Army had established identified of the killers. “We know which was the ground and where they came from but these are the matters, which can’t be shared publicly”.
Replying to a question on establishment of Mountain Strike Corps, Lt Gen Parnaik said it was in the offing and the Government of India was likely to set it up during 12th five year plan. He said the deployment of the Corps would depend on the requirements and added that some of the troops of the Corps could be stations in Leh.
“The Striking Corps would address entire Northern border with China,” he said.
According to him, the problem in some areas of the LoC was that the fencing was much behind and the troops had to man posts and keep vigil in the areas ahead of the fencing.
On unidentified persons threatening the porters hired by the Border Security Force (BSF) ahead of fencing at Sabjian along the LoC in Poonch sector, Lt Gen Parnaik said it was a cause of worry as to how the persons (whom the General described as militants) reached the area, which was about 10,000 feet above the seal level and picket of India and Pakistan were face-to-face.
“The terrain there was very difficult. It was not that the porters were killed or kidnapped but they were only threatened. We need surveillance, where we can’t maintain regular watch or patrolling,” he said, adding that lessons have been learnt from the incident and steps taken and implemented to meet such a situation.
Replying to a question on threat to Amarnath yatra this year, which is beginning on June 28 and would continue till August 21, Lt Gen Parnaik said the Army has received inputs that militants might try to disrupt the pilgrimage.
“Intelligence inputs which we are receiving suggest that they (militants) have intentions to disrupt the yatra,” Parnaik said.
He, however, said it was difficult to gauge where from these threats were emanating and how the terrorists might try to attack the pilgrimage.
“These warnings are coming, but who these persons are and where from they are coming, how will they strike one doesn’t know,” he said.
The General said the forces need to maintain a high degree of alert and foil any such attempt made by the anti-national elements.
“Precautions are being taken. We have meetings in Unified Command and in operation groups. We also have meetings under Operation Shiva — the operation named for the security of the Amarnath yatra this year. We discuss the security arrangements for the pilgrimage and plans are made on how to secure the yatra,” he said.
“The security of the track, as you know, is the concern of the CRPF and JK police. Army is stationed near the shrine. But we maintain surveillance from all the four sides,” he said.
He added there had been reports that the militants could use book, boot or toothpaste bomb.
“These are the things, which can’t be physically checked in a huge rush. Therefore, we and other agencies like para-military forces and police will have to go for awareness among the pilgrims to thwart the designs of militants,” Lt Gen Parnaik said.
“We need to be alert and do not provide them a chance to carry out any such incident,” he added.
The General, however, admitted that it was humanly going to be difficult to keep a check on each and every devotee coming for the yatra.
“It is very difficult to keep a check on each and everyone coming for the Yatra. We can not check the toothbrush and paste of every person and neither can we check their shoes, it humanly impossible,” he said.
But, there were other mechanisms to deal with such situations, he added.
He said security threat to the yatra was a “big challenge” and concerns for all including the State Government, Shri Amarnath Shrine Board and security forces. “All of us are in touch. The awareness and efforts are the only way out”.
Lt Gen Parnaik said the state has witnessed an increase in tourist inflow during the last couple of years.
“We have seen very good season since last couple of years. Tourism has grown, there has been an increase in yatra. More people have come for the pilgrimage. They saw how peaceful the area is. They also enjoyed their stay here,” he said.
To a question on demand for reduction of footprints of security forces in the Kashmir Valley, the Northern Army Commander observed that when they pulled out of Shopian, the Sarpanchs and Panchs were threatened. The posters threatening the Panchayat members also appeared, he said, adding: “we again went there and it all stopped”.
“We have to adopt operational method of dominating the area. We have recognized the need. We are not closing eyes. As long as the AFSPA is there, we can go to any place, re-establish and counter militancy domination in the area”.
He said the Army was trying to reduce its footprints in urban areas. “We are trying to reduce our footprints but difficulties and problems are faced by the people. Every year, the militants come inside and create incidents of violence. We can reduce our visibility in some areas but presence of para-military and police must remain,” he added.
To a question, Lt Gen Parnaik maintained that entire militant infrastructure is intact in Pakistan including the training camps. He said the camps have been kept in such a way that they were not visible to international community.
“The militants come, take training and go. The camps are frequently shifted. The launching pads are something different, which are located close to the LoC, where 300 to 400 militants are present at a time. Not that all of them have to infiltrate but they want to show their presence. They want to gain opportunity of infiltration, which we are not allowing to give them,” he said.
On residual militancy in internal areas of the State, the Army Commander said the figures continued to vary and maintained that it was the action and not the figures, which were important.
“For us, the important thins is to neutralize the militants especially their leadership, which we have successfully done. Nearly 80 to 85 per cent leadership of the outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has been eliminated. If there were 50 to 100 militants, but they have no direction in the absence of leadership, their strength is reduced. We always try to target the leadership of the militants, in which we have been successful,” he said, adding sometimes the militants take direction from across in the absence of leadership here.
He appreciated the synergy between various security agencies including Army, para-military forces and Jammu and Kashmir Police, which, he hoped, would go on.
To another question on the installation of new Government in Pakistan, Lt Gen Parnaik said new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief has given bold statement of positive relations with India, which is a welcome sign “but too early to presume” as there is always interference of Army and ISI in the Government.
“We have to be very cautious,” he added.
“The statements and intentions of Pakistan mean nothing. We wish they understand the follies and have good relations with India. They should now understand the danger of sustaining militancy especially in the wake of fidayeen attacks and terrorism in Sindh, Punjab and North West Frontier Province,” Lt Gen Parnaik said.
‘Solid steps, not positive overtures required from Pak’
The positive overtures made by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif towards India mean nothing until they are given a “formal shape”, a top Army commander said today.
Lt Gen Parnaik said,”There have been lot of positive overtures since Nawaz Sharif has taken over. That he wants to have good relations with India is a welcome step. But I will say that it is too early to presume anything.”
The Army general said that there was lot of interference in Pakistan’s political set-up and added the neighbouring country’s army, ISI and other agencies, they have a clout.
“We know that establishment in Pakistan has got lot of interference. The army, ISI and other agencies, they have a clout. Unless they come under one party and Prime Minister charts a method to deal with them these statements mean nothing. We will have to wait and watch,” Lt Gen Parnaik said.
He, however, wished that Pakistan understands the threat of terrorism to its own country.
“We wish they understand the dangers of supporting terrorism. Pakistan is under attack from its own terrorists. Every day we find terror attacks in Pakistan,” he said, adding that it was too early to say how the course of action will take place.
“May be in the next one year things will be clear,” Parnaik, who is going to retire later this month, said.
He said though the militants have suffered major setbacks in two and half years still “we can’t let off the guard”.
“The situation is still precarious. The attempts to push militants are visible. At some places, the militants have made selected targets like Army in Tral and CRPF in Bemina. We are trying to consolidate and our prime concern remained to provide security to the people,” the Army Commander said, adding the Army has sole motive of keeping the people safe.
“We have only one cause and that is national agenda. We have no popularity contest. Our contribution towards peace is enormous. Our all efforts are aimed at ensuring that people are safe”.
In his opening remarks, Lt Gen Parnaik said that Armed Forces make one a real man.
“I will remember the Armed Forces which is a very noble organization,” he said.
The Army Commander said, “it (Army) actually makes you a man and gives you an opportunity to serve the nation.”
“In few days I will be retiring from service and I enjoyed every moment of mine in the Army,” the General said and added that he is retiring with a pride and satisfaction.
“Army has given me the rare privilege of leading the Northern Command,” said the GOC-in-C Northern Command, who is retiring on June 30.
He said he was retiring with a lot of pride and satisfaction from Army.
Follow our WhatsApp channel