Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 20: Top Army Commanders are holding crucial strategy session for five days in New Delhi from April 24 in which situation on country’s borders with Pakistan and China, mainly the troubled Jammu and Kashmir and parts of North East, Policy Decisions of the Army and use of troops in maintenance of law and order would come up for high level review.
Top Commanders of the Army from Jammu and Kashmir will attend the five-day conference, which will be chaired by Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag in which all strategic issues along Pakistan and China borders would be debated and strategy adopted for operational preparedness of the troops for twin war simultaneously though there was no such possibility going by the relations India had developed with China.
“Situation in Siachen sector, located in the icy heights of 18,442 feet from sea level, in Ladakh sector of Jammu and Kashmir and considered as very crucial from strategic point of view, will come up for special review especially with regard to the facilities for Army soldiers as 10 jawans were killed there in first week of February in snow avalanche,” sources told the Excelsior.
According to sources, the fast developing close relations between Pakistan and China, the two hostile neighbours of India, though Sino-Indian troops hadn’t exchange even a single bullet all along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) spread over five Indian States, were issues of very deep concern for the Indian troops and will be debated by the Army Commanders, who want the forces to be ever prepared for the threat of war on twin fronts in future.
Recently, China had foiled Indian bid to get Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar declared as international terrorist at the United Nations. India has taken up the issue with China.
According to sources, the situation along borders with Pakistan and China especially in Jammu and Kashmir, where the borders with Pakistan remains active on one pretext or the other, will be main focus during the Army Commanders’ conference.
“Deployment of the troops, fencing along the borders, sophisticated gadgetry and taking infrastructure right up to the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir and Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Eastern Ladakh were top priority of the Army, which was suffering due to lack of adequate infrastructure especially along China borders in all five States of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh,” they said, adding though the present Central Government has taken on top priority the building of infrastructure and other facilities for troops along the borders, Army wants the process to be expedited.
“The Army was reportedly of the view that infrastructure on India side along LoC and IB was far better than Pakistan but it was badly lacking as far as China was concerned, which has taken road and rail networks right up to the LAC with India at most of the places in all five States while India was yet to construct roads up to its posts what to speak of the rail line,” sources said, adding though the Defence and Home Ministries were seized of the issue, it was “time consuming exercise” as previous Governments had virtually done nothing on this front.
“It was only after the takeover of present Government that infrastructure along China border has gained priority”.
According to sources, the shortage of ammunition with the Army was another area of concern, which would be debated thoroughly and demands projected before the Defence Ministry accordingly. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India had already pointed out huge shortage of ammunition with the Indian Army in the event of war.
According to sources, the Army Commanders would bat for Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which was in force in Jammu and Kashmir and parts of North East as they feel that it was not possible for the troops to carry out anti-militancy operations in the area without the cover of the Act.
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