Gen Pande, top Comdrs meet LG Ladakh
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 12: Army chief General Manoj Pande, in his first visit outside New Delhi after taking over as the chief on April 30, today reached Leh on his maiden visit to Ladakh to review operational preparedness of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
Gen Pande was briefed on the security situation along the LAC with special focus on Eastern Ladakh by the top Army Commanders.
“The high level of operational readiness being maintained by the troops while maintaining a high tempo of capability development was highlighted during the meeting,” a Defence spokesman said.
Later, Gen Pande accompanied by Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command and Lieutenant General A Sengupta, General Officer Commanding, Fire and Fury Corps called on RK Mathur, Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Ladakh.
This was followed by a detailed discussion on issues related to civil-military cooperation and the role of Indian Army in developmental activities in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
During his three day visit to Ladakh, Gen Pande will visit forward areas in Eastern Ladakh and interact with troops deployed along the Line of Actual Control in the most difficult and inhospitable terrain in the world.
He will also review the situation along the border with Pakistan in Kargil district of Ladakh with the Army Commanders.
This is his first visit outside Delhi after taking over as the 29th chief of the force, which has been deeply engaged in a military standoff with China in Eastern Ladakh since April 2020.
General Manoj Pande was deployed in the region as Division Commander when he headed the 8 Mountain Division in the Kumbathang area near Kargil.
Moreover, the Indian Army chief will also visit forward locations in the area to inspect the new facilities created for the troops and also review the overall security situation in other areas along with the Northern Army Commander, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi.
Meanwhile, at least 168 militants are operating in Jammu and Kashmir while 75 have been killed in encounters with security forces this year, officials said.
Among those neutralised include 21 foreign mercenaries, they pointed out.
In the past 11 months, 11 militants were encountered and 12 infiltration bids were foiled in the vicinity of the Line of Control (LoC) alone, they said.
“The intensity of (counter-terrorism) operations will continue to be high till all of the residual 168 plus ultras surrender or are eliminated,” a senior Army officer said.
He said the overall situation is progressively improving due to the proactive Army-guided deployment, leading to a positive environment to accelerate the Government’s development initiatives.
“Dividends of peace have started reaching the people and they are further getting motivated to preserve and sustain peace”, the officer added.
In 2021, security forces eliminated 180 militants, out of which 18 were foreign elements. This was possible due to synchronised intelligence network and support from civil population, he said.
Last year, 495 Over Ground Workers (OGWs) were apprehended, while 87 OGWs were nabbed in the first four months of this year.
“Ceasefire violation, infiltration bids or any other misadventure attempted by the adversary will be met firmly and strongly,” the officer said.
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