General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Srinagar based Chinar Corps Lieutenant General Devendra Pratap Pandey on Monday said that main beneficiaries of ceasefire between India and Pakistan are the people living along the Line of Control (LoC).
“This truce deal is desirable for both Nations, and the main beneficiaries are the people on the Line of Control (LoC). The deal has great significance for the stability and peace in the region,” GOC said in an interview with local news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS)
He said that the attempts to foment “violence” in Jammu and Kashmir are the primary reason for a volatile LoC.
“Onus is on Pakistan to stop abetting militancy in J-K. That done the LoC peace will sustain. While the ceasefire deal is in effect, we are alert and upgrading our ability to counter any infiltration attempts,” the GOC said.
He said that the infiltration bids and their pattern remain dynamic, ‘as does our counter infiltration grid all along the LoC’.
The Lt. General said that in 2021, a robust counter infiltration grid, aided by use of technology to aid surveillance and domination of the LoC has curbed infiltration to a very large extent.
“There have been numerous successful eliminations of militants who were trying to infiltrate from various sectors. The infiltration figures last year are much lower than 2020 and we intend to keep it that way in 2022 as well,” GOC said.
He said that Pakistanis are desperate to send weapons to Kashmir to “generate violence” and “insecurity”.
“In addition to infiltration attempts, there are efforts to leave arms caches near the LoC, to be picked by the OGWs or militants on this side. South of Pir Panjal there has been efforts to drop weapons by quad or octa-copters, for which we are taking suitable countermeasures.”
“We are also mindful of efforts to infiltrate weapons from IB sector; extra checks have resulted in recoveries of weapons while being transported across the Banihal into Kashmir valley,” he said.
He said that the Pakistani internal situation and continued propaganda efforts in J-K give indication of “ill” intent.
“On our part, we are committed to the LoC Ceasefire and will maintain it in letter and spirit,” the officer said.
Talking about Taliban, the Lt. General said that Afghanistan is an evolving geo-political situation and the whole world is watching it very closely.
“At national level, our Govt is keeping a close watch on the developments that are unfolding and its resultant impact on the security issues pertaining to Kashmir,” he said.
He said that the security forces are “alert” on borders and in the hinterland.
“We are continuously monitoring the fallouts which might emerge from Taliban situation in Afghanistan. You would also be aware that the first thing the Taliban did after taking over was releasing all militants from prisons including those from the ‘Islamic State’ (IS), LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM),” the officer said.
He said that ISI could also use its influence on the Taliban and shift those training camps based in PaK to border areas in Afghanistan.
“Such developments might have an impact on India. We are also watching closely the security situation and violence on Pakistan’s borders with Afghanistan. The situation is a worry for the global order and we are part of that,” the office said.
GOC said that it is essentially an Afghan movement and the Kashmiri situation has a momentum of its own which is very different.
“In those times the borders were porous and it was easy to infiltrate weapons and militants. I don’t see that happening now,” GOC said.
