Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 3: Security scenario in three districts of Jammu province falling under the Western Command came in for a high level review during a meeting between Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and top Army Commanders led by Western Command General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) Lt Gen Philip Campose here today. The GOCs of Tiger Division, Jammu, Yol Cantonment, Himachal Pradesh and Gurj Division, Mamoon Cantonment, Pathankot also attended the meeting.
Security, law and order situation and other issues ahead of next year’s Parliament and Assembly elections came up for discussion in the meeting that lasted about an hour.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Omar reportedly called for enhanced vigil by the Army to prevent September 26 like militant attack at Mehsar Army camp in Samba district in which four Army personnel including Second-in-Command of the Unit were killed. Later, Army had eliminated all three fidayeens.
He said Army and other security agencies were required to take measures to ward off the possibility of any such attack in future especially when the next year was crucial for the State with both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections scheduled to be held in 2014.
Sources said Lt Gen Campose and other senior Army Commanders gave their assessment of the situation in their areas of operation in the State, which included Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts. Other Army commanders present in the meeting included GOC 9 Corps (Yol Cantonment) Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi, GOC 26 Infantry Division (Tiger Division, Jammu) Major Gen Ashwani Kumar and GOC 29 Infantry Division (Gurj Division, Mamoon Cantonment, Pathankot) Maj Gen Balbir Singh.
Admitting that year 2014 was crucial for Jammu and Kashmir with both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections scheduled to be held next year, the Army Commanders reportedly said that a strategy would be put in place in co-ordination with Northern Command, Border Security Force (BSF) and other security agencies to ensure that the militants didn’t succeed in their designs to disturb Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.
The Lok Sabha elections are due to be held in April-May next year followed by the Assembly polls in November-December.
Sources said the Army Commanders reportedly gave complete assessment of security scenario in their areas of operation including movement of the militants across the border, infiltration attempts expected in winter ahead of the elections, presence of some militants on this side, strategy of the militants to shift some terrorists from Kashmir to Jammu and steps taken by the Army to ensure that the militants are not able to carry out any strike including the one carried out on September 26 this year at Army’s Mehsar camp and Hiranagar police station by three fidayeens.
The Army commanders were reported to have assured the Chief Minister that the troops were on high alert and keeping a strict vigil on the situation ahead of elections as well as winter when chances of terror attacks become more high.
Apart from security related issues, the Army commanders were also understood to have taken up the issue of maintenance of ‘Balidan Stambh’ near Jammu University, reduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) in Canteen Stores Depot (CSD), addressing the issues of ex-servicemen, expansion of Jammu Airport, which has already been cleared by the Defence Ministry and acquisition of land at some places.
On his arrival at Technical Airport, AOC Air Force Station Jammu, Air Commander P E Patange and GOC 9 Corps Lt Gen Parveen Bakshi received Lt Gen Campose.
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