‘Army in position of operational advantage in Ladakh’
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 15: Northern Command chief Lt Gen Y K Joshi today said the troops have shown immense grit and determination to match the Chinese aggression in Eastern Ladakh and gave a befitting reply, adding talks on the military standoff are being held with the PLA from a position of “equivalence”.
“Today, I am extremely satisfied with all the actions that the Northern Command has taken towards the end of August last year. Now, we are in a position of operational advantage and are negotiating with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from a position of equivalence”, Lt Gen Joshi told reporters at Northern Command headquarters in Udhampur.
Around four months back, Indian troops occupied a number of strategic heights in the Mukhpari, Rechin La and Magar hill areas around the southern bank of the Pangong lake after the PLA attempted to intimidate them in the area on the intervening night of August 29 and 30. The Indian Army has been holding onto the heights despite objections from Chinese military.
Gen Joshi said the Northern Command is facing a triple challenge posed by China, Pakistan and the internal security situation.
“At Northern Command, we are contending with a triple challenge. Firstly, we have a western adversary Pakistan which has not yet relented from using terror as a State policy… at the Northern border we have seen the Chinese belligerence along the LAC… third is the internal security situation,” he said.
“We all got involved in the fight against the (COVID-19) pandemic. It was followed by the PLA act in Ladakh which had us totally occupied… we had our hands full with the job,” the General said.
The Chinese tried to change the status quo in Eastern Ladakh which is being contested with resolve by the Indian Army, he added.
Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a bitter standoff in Eastern Ladakh since May 5 as multiple rounds of military and diplomatic talks have not produced any breakthrough yet.
“We are upholding the idea of India”, he added.
And thirdly, the internal situation in J&K which is stable and under control but has the propensity to flare up at any time. There is also a collusive factor with threat ranging from supplying of weapons to sharing of operational practices and so on, he added.
“Relentless operations on the LoC backed with a robust multi-agency grid in the hinterland has forced the deep state in Pakistan to recalibrate its approach to handle this situation,” he said adding that the militant network across is trying hard to abet recruitment by extensive use of social media.
“The recent DDC elections have conveyed the resolve and will of the ‘Awaam’ to shun separatism and embrace democracy. The abrogation of Article 370 and improvement in governance has been a major game-changer and helped in restoring faith of the common people in the institutions of the Government,’’ Lt Gen Joshi said.
He said the Indian Army has played its designated role of creating an ecosystem of safety and normalcy during COVID. Operation Sadhbhavna has been pivotal in providing avenues of employment and education to the youth, he added.
While inaugurating launch of the musical talent hunt “Shaurya”, the Army Commander lauded the efforts of “Mausqui Studios”, who along with active support of the Northern Command Army, have conceptualized and organized musical talent hunt programme.
Renowned Bollywood celebrities and legends like Sukhwinder Singh and Dilshaad Shabbir Shaikh have promoted the talent hunt and provided an opportunity at the doorsteps of the youth of J&K to help them explore new vistas in the music industry.
Over 2000 talented youth of Jammu & Kashmir joined the online audition which was spread over seven days. This was followed up by offline audition for four days, two days each form Jammu and Srinagar.
Finally, 10 talented youth comprising vocalists and instrumentalists have been selected to form the J&K Band. This Band will be groomed before they showcase their talent on January 18, 2021, in Srinagar. While the entire Band will share the stage with famous singer Sukhwinder Singh, the top three will be performing with him.
Post this performance, the Band members will be travelling to Mumbai for training and grooming and undertaking contractual performances.
The Northern Army Commander awarded “Certificates of Appreciation” to the outstanding media persons, who have served the public interest in a fair, accurate and unbiased manner, especially during COVID times, bringing out the best form of truth but yet holding the national interest. They include Pradeep Dutta, Times Now, Anil Bhat, PTI, Ajay Bachloo, ABP News, Vishal Bharti, UNI and Channi Anand, AP.
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