‘Onus of holding ceasefire lies with Pak’
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, June 3: Army chief General M M Naravane today said that a sense of normalcy prevails in Jammu and Kashmir and soldiers would remain alert, in readiness and won’t let their guard down.
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Speaking to a selected group of journalists at JAKLI Centre Rangreth in Srinagar outskirts, the Army chief said that they have a counter-infiltration grid in place to prevent infiltration along the Line of Control and also the counter-militancy grid to tackle militancy in the hinterland.
The Army chief said that the troops can’t lower the guard and will be alert and in full preparedness to deal with any situation. “…There can be no lowering of guard as far as levels of alertness and preparedness is concerned. Trust is a difficult thing to come by, it takes a lot of time to build. So the situation on that score can’t change overnight”, he added.
To a question on any proposal to cut down the Army deployment in J&K after a relatively peaceful situation, he said: “All these deployments are dynamic and they depend on situation and threat perception. We do review deployment from time to time. If we feel and the situation permits, we can take the course of pulling out some troops from the active deployment areas to rear areas so that they get time to relax, but they will not be pulled out altogether.”
He said that there was a sense of normalcy in J&K, especially Kashmir. “There have been very few militant activities and stone pelting and IED related incidents. This indicates a sense of normalcy. People also want the same and it is a good thing. After a long time, we have reached to the level where peace prevails,” he said.
Gen Naravane said that the onus of holding a ceasefire along the LoC lies with Pakistan. “Onus of holding it further lies on Pakistan. As long as they do so, we will hold it. While it (ceasefire) is on, other activities Pakistan is indulging in are militant infrastructure, camps-and militants. This continues…,” he said.
The Army chief said that if Pakistan stops “desisting from pushing militants from across and fomenting trouble in India, then all these steps will help build up the level of trust between the two countries further. “I reiterate that the onus is on Pakistan,” he said.
He added that the Army is ready to ensure a smooth Amarnath yatra even though the final decision to conduct it lies with the Government. “We are ready and prepared to ensure a smooth pilgrimage if the civil administration decided to go ahead,” the Army chief said.
He added that people in general, not only youth, should shun the path of violence for a better future of J&K. “After such a long time, we have reached a situation where peace and tranquility prevails, where people are able to perceive their dreams and aspirations,” he said.
“My message to all, not only youth, would be that when there is peace and tranquility there can be development and when there is development, we will all prosper. Youth should shun the path of violence as it will not take them anywhere. See how the world has moved on and how India has moved on; therefore embrace the future and future lies in shunning the violence”, he said.
The General said that the Army’s role is to bring down levels of violence to an extent where civil administration and local security forces can play their role in the development of J&K. “Our role is to work with synergy with the Government and other security forces,” he said.
About COVID-19, the Army chief said that the entire country is fighting an open war against the pandemic. “There is not a single family which has not been affected by COVID. It is our responsibility as armed forces of the nation in this hour of need to do whatever we can do for the help of our citizens,” he said.
“We have left no stone unturned and spared no resources in helping out in this hour of grief. I am happy to say that the overall number of cases in the country are declining. Let me tell you that we are prepared to fight the third wave if it may occur”, he said.
The Army chief arrived in Srinagar yesterday to review the security along the LoC and Kashmir valley. He visited forward posts along the LoC and various formations inside the Valley where he interacted with the ground level Commanders.
He was briefed about the prevailing ceasefire, infiltration and counter-militancy operation in the Valley. In Srinagar, GoC 15 Corps Lieutenant General D P Pandey briefed the Army chief about militancy, anti-militancy operations, local militant recruitment and other security related issues.
He also met LG Manoj Sinha and discussed the present situation in J&K. He flew back to Delhi in the afternoon.
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