Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 18: Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat today held high level review of security situation along the frontiers with Pakistan including Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir in his meeting with top Army Commanders including General Officer Commanding -in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Western Command, Lt Gen Surinder Singh and GOC 9 Corps Lt Gen SK Saini.
During his two-day visit to Western Command and 9 Corps Headquarters, Gen Rawat called upon the troops to maintain highest vigil along the country’s Western borders and keep infiltration by the militants at zero level. He called upon the top Army Commanders to take all possible steps ahead of summer to ensure that the infiltration attempts don’t succeed.
The Army chief’s statement assumed great significance as it comes just days after Intelligence inputs that there was heavy presence of militants on Pakistan side of LoC and IB, who were waiting for an opportunity to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir to step-up subversive activities.
Sources told the Excelsior that the Army chief was briefed on presence of militants on Pakistan side, infiltration attempts, ceasefire violations and security situation in the areas falling under the Western Command and 9 Corps, which included all three border districts of Jammu region including Kathua, Samba and Jammu and parts of Punjab including neighbouring Pathankot district.
The Army chief, who after taking over command in first week of January had visited Northern Command areas including Kashmir, Siachen Glacier, Akhnoor etc, called upon the troops to tackle the Pakistan-backed militancy in Jammu and Kashmir with full force to bring down the level of violence, which had recently gone up.
Western Army Commander Lt Gen Surinder Singh and 9 Corps GOC Lt Gen SK Saini apart from other Formation Commanders were reported to have briefed the Army chief on the steps being taken by the Command on various fronts including militancy and infiltration besides preparedness along the western frontiers.
“Army is ready to meet with any eventuality along the borders with Pakistan,” sources said, adding that morale of the troops is very high and they were prepared to meet with any eventuality not only along the borders but in the hinterland.
According to sources, the Army chief was also reported to have reviewed security scenario of vital installations of Army and other security forces especially those falling along Jammu-Pathankot National Highway and areas close to the International Border, which have quite often been targeted by the militants after sneaking into this side from Pakistan. However, troops have foiled several such attempts of the militants in the recent past by not allowing the intrusion bids to succeed.
Sources said the Army chief has called for maintaining very high alert in all Army installations especially those located along the Highways and major roads and plugging all entry routes to ensure that the militants don’t manage to sneak-in just like they had done at Uri, Nagrota and Pathankot airbase last year.
This was first visit of Gen Bipin Rawat to Western Command and 9 Corps Headquarters after taking over as the Army chief during which he acquainted himself with the situation prevailing along vast portion of India’s Western frontiers in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab and discussed with the top Army Commanders the steps required to keep the level of infiltration down.
Though during past few days, there have been no major infiltration attempts in Jammu region and neighbouring Pathankot district of Punjab, some intrusion bids had been reported in January-February at Samba, Hiranagar and Pathankot sectors, sources said, adding that all such bids were foiled by the Border Security Force (BSF), which mans the international boundary with Pakistan.
Pointing out that security of vital Army installations has been of very paramount importance for the troops especially after Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota terror attacks and prior to that similar attacks in Hiranagar, Samba etc, sources said the Army has devised strategy to ensure that even if the militants managed to infiltrate into the Indian territory, they don’t succeed in breaching security walls of important installations to carry out the terror attacks.
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