JAIPUR, Dec 22: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat today said peace talks with Pakistan can take place only when it stops supporting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.
Given its actions, it doesn’t appear that Pakistan really wants peace, the Army Chief added.
He was in the Thar desert in the Western Sector to witness the ‘Hamesha Vijayee’ exercise conducted by the Southern Command close to the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan.
Rawat said Pakistan should stop supporting terrorists.
“Only then can we say that peace talks should take place,” he told reporters in the exercise area near Barmer.
“We also want that relations should be better but given what kind of actions there are (from their side) and terrorism is spreading in Jammu and Kashmir, it doesn’t appear that they really want peace,” Rawat said.
Asked about China’s rising presence and influence in Pakistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Army Chief said India is also taking its steps while keeping security aspects in mind.
“The way they are taking steps, we are also taking our steps while keeping our security perspective in mind,” he said.
Rawat said the Army, paramilitary forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police have been taking actions against militants in Jammu and Kashmir successfully and the action will continue.
His comments come a day after Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India would like good relations with Pakistan provided Islamabad takes action against terror groups.
“It is important for Pakistan to understand our core concern, which is terrorism. We have time and again asked them to take action against terrorists who are operating from their soil. This is something they (Pakistan) will have to handle if they are serious in cultivating this friendship,” Kumar said.
The assertions follow Pakistan’s Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa pledging his support for better ties.
According to media reports, Bajwa has said he will support any initiative of the civilian Government to resolve issues with India through talks.
General Rawat witnessed the ‘Hamesha Vijayee’ military exercise in Thar desert close to the India-Pakistan border where army and air force in integration executed manoeuvres to evaluate the capabilities to strike deep into the enemy territory.
The exercise conducted by the Southern Command was aimed at streamlining operational procedures, defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Ojha said.
Rawat witnessed the army executing its manoeuvres in a network enabled environment by employing diverse elements of combat and combat support arms fully integrated with air assets to achieve decisive results.
Having closely witnessed the exercise, the Army chief commended the forces on their battle preparedness and synergised orchestration of complex operational manoeuvres, Ojha said.
Rawat also complimented the troops on achieving a high standard of training during the exercise and termed it as “highly successful”.
The Southern Army Commander, Lieutenant General D R Soni, stated that a number of vital concepts were validated during the exercise and a number of important lessons were drawn which will enable the army to further streamline its operational plans and procedures.
With an emphasis on surveillance, a multitude of aerial and land based surveillance devices were fielded to gain information and present a comprehensive picture to the commanders, he said.
Various electronic warfare equipment and other new age force multipliers were also used to amalgamate technology and further refine real time information of adversary’s activities which was shared with various command and control centres for planning and execution of coordinated operations, Ojha said.
Thereafter, a host of medium and long range weapons as well as airborne and heliborne forces and the entire spectrum of aerial platforms were utilised to ensure non linear application of combat potential.
With a large array of tanks and other types of armoured vehicles duly supported by extensive firepower assets and robust logistics, the army showcased its operational readiness. (PTI)
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