86 militants killed in JK this year so far: Army Commander
Says ops against militants to continue
Udhampur: Asserting that the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir is “under control”, the Army said Monday Pakistan is continuing with its anti-India activities along the Line of Control (LoC) by trying to infiltrate militants into the Valley and promoting drug trade.
General Officer Commanding in Chief (GoC-In-C), Northern Command, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said 86 militants were killed this year in the state and vowed that operations against the ultras will continue.
“The security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in under control,” Lt Gen Singh told PTI in reply to a question here.
He said the militant infrastructure across the border was intact and Pakistan is continuing with its anti-Indian activities.
“Pakistan has been continuing with its activities which are mainly anti-India, whether it is violating ceasefire, promoting cross-border infiltration, drug trafficking, narcotics, circulation of fake Indian currency,” he said.
“Local recruitment remains a matter of concern for all of us. Last year, we had 217 local youth who had joined militancy. This year, the number has significantly reduced and as on date there are only 40 youth who have picked up arms,” Lieutenant General Singh said.
He shared that one of the key reasons for this is the “radicalization and exploitation of social media by Pakistani agencies.”
“Pakistan has been continuing with its efforts. Today, they feel absolutely starved because of the very effective counter infiltration grid of the Indian Army. Successful infiltration from the Line of Control is virtually becoming very difficult. Therefore, for them to continue with this militancy, they want that the local content should be increased,” he said.
“However, that realization is coming in the youth and people of Kashmir that we do not want to become fodder by the Pakistani agencies and various inimical elements, who want to promote militancy and violence in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. I am sure with the help of all the stakeholders we will be able to arrest this trend in the times to come as we are doing now,” he added.
He said the neighbouring country wants to continue with its proxy war against India.
“But I must assure you that our efforts to thwart each of these actions is in place and Pakistan will not able to succeed in its designs,” Lt Gen Singh said.
He said the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was peaceful and “we have been able to ensure peace and tranquility with China”.
Lt Gen Singh said the established mechanisms for confidence building have ensured that there are no “fraction points” between the two sides.
“If at all there are any kind of transgressions and incursions, which do take place, the established mechanisms take care of that,” he added.
He said the security forces helped the administration in Jammu and Kashmir to conduct the Lok Sabha polls in a peaceful manner.
“We recently finished with the elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The credit is due to the security forces and the administration,” Lt Gen Singh said.
He said while security forces killed a number of militants in the past about four months in the state, some ultras shunned the path of violence and returned to the mainstream.
“During this year, we have been able to neutralise 86 militants so far. Twenty were also apprehended. Our operations against militants will continue. A number of ultras have been brought back to the mainstream with the help of the parents, teachers and senior citizens,” Lt Gen Sinbh said.
He said the Army was able to check and arrest terror activities in south of Pir Panjal in the Jammu region.
At present, there are no confirmed reports about the presence of militants in the region, Lt Gen Singh said.
“Our resolve, our commitment to operations (against militants) continues to be same in south of Pir Panjal. We will not allow the area to slip into militancy,” he added. (with inputs from PTI)
Press Trust of India
