Srinagar, Jan 11: Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande Thursday expressed deep concerns regarding the prevailing situation and the surge in terrorist activities in Rajouri and Poonch. Despite these challenges, General Pande highlighted the ongoing research into the tactics employed by the enemy to effectively address and counter these threats.
Recalling the peace that prevailed in the Rajouri-Poonch region from 2003 until 2017–18, General Pande highlighted the renewed focus of the Pakistan Army on disturbing the tranquillity in the area through the promotion of proxy organizations. The Army Chief underscored the critical need for vigilance, particularly as peace gains momentum in the broader Kashmir valley.
“Our enemies are promoting proxy tanzeems in the region because peace is finally arriving in the valley and the Rajouri-Poonch region is being targeted by the Pakistan Army for terrorist activities.
COAS said that the ceasefire agreement along the LoC is still in effect with regard to the circumstances in Jammu and Kashmir even while they witness infiltration efforts, which they have been able to stop.
“We have a robust anti-drone system in place to prevent the smuggling of drugs and weapons via drones. Terrorist activity has escalated in the Rajouri Poonch region. Support infrastructure for proxy tandems in the Rajouri Poonch region from across the border continues”, he added.
COAS also said that fourteen terrorists were slain in the hinterland last year alone, and 45 terrorists have been killed in the Rajouri-Poonch region in the previous several years, while five infiltration attempts have been thwarted.
In response to a question about the deficiency of human intellect in the Rajouri-Poonch region, COAS said that enhancing human intelligence is vital and significant and they are concentrating on combining their efforts and working together with other agencies.
“Local backing is essential. We are interacting with the local community in Rajouri-Poonch as part of Operation Sadbhavna. The impacted hamlet (in Poonch) has already been adopted by the army, according to the locals with whom I personally spoke there,”COAS said.
The COAS warned that there would be a zero tolerance for human rights crimes in J&K and the army has been given explicit instructions to behave professionally.
“We will not cease in our actions against the terrorists. The army reported 20 casualties in Jammu in 2023. We are learning some tactical lessons from our opponent and researching their strategies,” COAS added.
Regarding the state of affairs in Kashmir, the Army Chief said that things are getting back to normal and that there has been a notable decrease in terrorist activity. The army saw ongoing infiltration efforts along the LoC that were thwarted despite the truce being in place, he added.
There were also ongoing efforts at drug smuggling along the international border. An improvement in J&K may be seen by the increase in tourism. To make sure there is peace, the Army is collaborating with other security services, he said.
COAS said the northern border situation is steady yet delicate and they keep on talking in an effort to resolve problems and strike a balance between the two sides and there is a high level of operational readiness, and deployment is balanced and strong.
“Our country is steadily moving forward in terms of its economic development and to advance our nation, we are totally committed to ensuring an atmosphere of stability and security on the inside as well as the outside” he said.
COAS further said that the report from the first two batches of Agniveers, who are now completely deployed in field units, is extremely encouraging and constructive.
Additionally, 120 female officers who have been granted permanent commission and who hold leadership positions are also deployed in field locations, where they are doing admirably, he added.
“We’ve reorganized our artillery division. Additionally, our electronic warfare and electronic intelligence units have been reorganized”, he said.
COAS said that Drones are starting to replace the animals in animal transport units as they have begin the process of lowering their number and have formulated a strategy to maximize their capabilities by substantial figures, and by 2027, they want to attain a 1 lakh figure optimization for which the government has received the proposal also.
He also said that have been able to introduce certain new technologies and handle combat areas as part of emergency supplies. “Better cars, drones, and counter-drone systems have been developed. We possess electronic warfare devices tailored to certain terrain”, COAS said.
COAS said that they have sought the telecom ministry for 4G connection from 355 Army stations that they have selected. Infrastructure also includes communities, helipads, and advanced airfields. “We are also developing subterranean storage. We are making progress in every area with regard to the infrastructure along the LAC.”
About Manipur, he said that their presence in Manipur is aimed at supporting the civil government and all their battalions, including the Assam Rifles, have shown great restraint.
COAS said there are occasions when they provoke something and create no collateral damage or human fatalities as a result of their activities.
“We work in tandem with the state government to coordinate our deployments in Manipur. I want to draw attention to the fact that our troops live, eat, and sleep together from both communities. They operate flawlessly at all,” he added.
