Army Chief hints troops cut possible in Kashmir
Army Chief Gen. M.M. Naravane said Thursday the onus for sustaining the ceasefire along the Line of Control and other sectors in Jammu and Kashmir lies with Pakistan. However, he did not rule out the possibility of a reduction in the number of troops for active deployment in J&K if the situation on the ground permitted it.
Gen. Naravane said: “There’ve been decades of mistrust between Pakistan and India and the situation can’t change overnight. If they continue to observe ceasefire, stop and desist from pushing terrorists across India, then these steps will incrementally build up trust. The onus is entirely on Pakistan.”
Gen. Naravane, speaking to a handpicked group of reporters here before
winding up his two-day visit to Kashmir, when he reviewed the security situation in the hinterland and also along the LoC, coinciding with the completion of the renewal of ceasefire pledge between the two armies, asserted that the situation on the de facto border and in the hinterland had greatly improved, yet he urged people of the Valley to shun the path of violence as “it will not take you anywhere”.
He said: “After being briefed by the (Army) commanders here on the prevailing situation, both along the LoC and hinterland, I’m glad to say that all parameters we judge normalcy by have seen great improvement. There have been few (militant) initiated incidents.”
He added: “There have been hardly any cases of stone pelting, any cases or nil cases of IEDs (blasts) in the recent past and all these are indicators of return of the sense of normalcy… these are all indicators that awaam (people) also want the same. It’s a very good thing that is happening.”
Replying to a question, he said troop reduction in J&K was possible if the situation permitted it. He said: “A ceasefire is in place… this is a dynamic process depending on threat perceptions… If the situation permits, we do pull out troops from active deployments.”
Gen. Naravane said the Army is ready to supplement the government’s effort towards holding a peaceful and smooth Amarnath Yatra and has already taken all necessary steps. He added, however, that the decision to conduct the annual pilgrimage to the 3,882-metre cave shrine lies with the civil administration. The yatra is due to begin from both the traditional Pahalgam and the shorter Balal routes on June 28, but in view of the surge in the number of deaths and positive cases in the Covid19 second wave, the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board had last month announced a temporary suspension of the registration of pilgrims for the event.