‘Alienation doesn’t mean you pick up guns’
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 21: Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat said today that what was happening in Kashmir was very clearly externally-backed terrorism and not insurgency as youth were being radicalized and compelled to join militancy and asserted that ceasefire violations by Pakistan army on the Line of Control (LoC) were clearly aimed at facilitating infiltration of the militants into the State.
In an interview to Times Now tonight, Gen Rawat said the stone pelters, who reach the site of encounters knowing that security forces are dealing with the militants, they can’t be nationalists.
“It is very clear terrorism and not insurgency. The terrorism is externally abetted. The youth are being radicalized and even compelled to join the militancy,” he said.
Without any political reference, the Army chief told the interviewer that some forces virtually encourage stone pelting by not asking the youth to refrain from such activities. This way, he said, the stone pelters feel they have legitimate right (to target security forces).
On whether there was alienation among the youth in the Kashmir valley, the Army chief said alienation can be anywhere. “It can be in Mumbai…it can be in New Delhi or any other State, but it doesn’t mean that you take gun and law and order in your hands,” he added.
The Army chief highlighted contradictions in what was being asked for and what was being done in Kashmir.
“On the one hand, there were complaints pertaining to lack of development. Government is spending funds on development but you are burning the bridges, Government schools and Panchayat Ghars etc. Similarly, one side they claim lack of job opportunities and other side they ask police personnel to quit their jobs. These are quite contradictions,” Gen Rawat said.
Replying to a question on ceasefire violations by Pakistan army on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, he said Pakistan was supporting infiltration attempts by the militants under the cover of firing.
“They (the Pakistan army) engage our posts to give militants an opportunity to sneak-in. This (the ceasefire violations) have become a means of diverting our attention,” he said.
It may be mentioned here that Pakistan army has regularly been violating ceasefire on the LoC in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch. However, Army had foiled all infiltration attempts by the militants in the two districts.
Gen Rawat said the surgical strikes have given message to Pakistan that the Indian Army won’t hesitate from crossing the Line of Control.
“We have raised level of security at the borders,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, an Army jawan was injured today after Pakistani troops resorted to firing on forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Akhnoor sector of Jammu district, sources said.
On Tuesday, two soldiers were injured in Poonch and Rajouri sectors in shelling and small arms fire from across the border, prompting authorities to shut down schools in some places.
Pakistan troops resorted to firing on forward areas in Pallanwalla sub-sector today in which one Army man suffered injuries, they said.
He was undergoing treatment at a hospital, officials added.
The first seven months of this year saw 52 deaths and 232 people sustaining injuries in 1,435 ceasefire violations in the State, according to an RTI reply by the Union Home Ministry.
Reports indicated that at least five Pakistan army personnel were injured in retaliatory firing by the Indian troops on the LoC last night and early today.
Some posts of the Pakistani troops were hit and damaged in retaliation by the Indian side, reports said.
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