Stone pelters are no less than terrorists, army chief says
RAWAT WARNS OF ‘OTHER MEASURES’ IF ISLAMABAD CONTINUES TO SUPPORT TERRORISM
Stone pelters in Jammu and Kashmir are overground workers of terror groups and should be dealt with sternly, General Bipin Rawat said yesterday, a day after a 22-year-old jawan (soldier) was killed by stone pelting in Kashmir.
The Army chief also warned Pakistan to desist from supporting cross-border terrorism. Sending a tough message, General Rawat said if Islamabad continues to support terrorism, the Indian Army can resort to “other actions”.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event to mark Infantry Day, the army chief, however, did not elaborate on the specific nature of the action he was talking about.
The army carried out “surgical strikes” on terror launch pads across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir on September 28, 2016, following a string of terror attacks on military installations in India by Pakistan-based terror groups.
On the death of jawan Rajendra Singh in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, General Rawat said: “I still say the same. If they (stone-pelters) can kill people with such acts, are they not becoming like terrorists?”
Singh died at a hospital in Srinagar on Friday after he sustained head injuries when a group of youth threw stones at him on Thursday. The army has ■ lodged an FIR in the case, and the chief called for tough action against stone-pelters.
Talking about Pakistan’s support to cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, General Rawat suggested that the neighbouring country was resorting to a “proxy war” to avenge its defeat at the hands of India in the 1971 war, when Bangladesh was liberated.
“But, let me assure you, the Indian Army and the Indian state are strong enough to ensure that J & K remains a part of India. No one else can take it away by force or by any other means, because legally, legitimately J & K is an integral part of India,” he said.
Tribute to slain soldiers
On cross-border infiltration, he said Pakistan would be wise to know that it was harming itself by indulging in such activities. “We are capable of finishing off infiltrators who reach our side. But, if Pakistan continues to support infiltration, we can use other kinds of action too,” Rawat said. He further said: “After the liberation of Bangladesh, they [Pakistan] decided to create a similar situation in Kashmir. Has Pakistan succeeded? They have not. And Pakistan is fully aware they cannot succeed in J & K.”
Rawat earlier laid a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial to pay tribute to soldiers who died in the line of duty.